/qresearch/ -  Q Research

>>24782659

>>24782677

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/incoming/notorious-sex-beast-jimmy-savile-37546859

Notorious sex beast Jimmy Savile helped King Charles appoint his right hand man

Bewildered Sir Christopher Airy was interviewed in Kensington Palace by the depraved TV personality, who was wearing a silver jumpsuit

Ben Borland

13 Aug 2026

King Charles is searching for his next Principal Private Secretary after long-serving right-hand man Sir Clive Alderton announced his departure.

Sir Clive is the 25th holder of the office of Private Secretary to the Sovereign, although he has been with the King and Queen Camilla since 2006. He joined as the couple's Deputy Private Secretary and was later promoted the top post.

One of his predecessors as Principal Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales was Sir Christopher Airy, who was appointed in 1990 by Prince Charles (as he was then) and Princess Diana.

Remarkably, he was recommended for the role by Jimmy Savile – the 'Jim'll Fix It' TV personality who was once on first name terms with the King and many other members of the Royal Family.

Although rumours and claims of abuse swirled around Savile throughout his life, it was only after his death in 2011 that he was unmasked as one of Britain's most prolific paedophiles and sex offenders.

Sir Christopher, who served with the Scots Guards and became one of Britain's top Army officers, only stuck out his royal role with Charles and Diana for a year before retiring to Somerset with his wife. He died in April 2025, aged 91.

Writing in the Daily Mail, the Ephraim Hardcastle column noted that an "open and rigorous" recruitment process was already underway to find the King's next right-hand man.

Hardcastle adds: "All a far cry from less formal days many moons ago: prior to hiring Sir Christopher Airy as his PS in 1990, Charles sought guidance on the appointment from unofficial royal adviser Jimmy Savile."

The King and Savile first bonded in the 1970s and they maintained a controversial friendship for decades, with Charles often approaching the TV star and charity fundraiser for advice and PR guidance.

According to Tom Bower's 2018 biography of the King, called Rebel Prince, Savile was asked to 'vet' Sir Christopher after a period when Charles had burned through four secretaries in seven years.

The bewildered former Major General was interviewed in Kensington Palace by Savile, who was wearing a silver jump suit. Later, according to Bower, Charles sent Savile a box of Havana cigars (a gift he had received from Fidel Castro) with a note saying: "Nobody will ever know what you've done for this country, Jimmy."

In 1989, Savile – who had a cottage in Glencoe where he spent much of his time – even helped prodcue an unofficial handbook for the royals on how to deal with the media during a crisis, which Charles shared with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

Charles wrote to Savile: "I attach a copy of my memo on disasters which incorporates your points and which I showed to my father. He showed it to H.M."

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/bring-bulldozers-scottish-parliament-building-37542476

Bring in the bulldozers! Scottish Parliament building gets absolutely destroyed on social media

'Hideous', 'awful', 'a dog's breakfast', 'an absolute eyesore' and 'entirely out of place in the Royal Mile' – is there anybody with anything good to say about the Scottish Parliament?

Ben Borland

12 Aug 2026

An ironic comment about the Scottish Parliament building by a policy and planning expert has brought an avalanche of criticism down on Holyrood's roof.

Ben Southwood tweeted: "It's worth remembering that the Scottish Parliament building was controversial when it was built –– some even called it an eyesore –– but it is now considered one of the most treasured and beautiful buildings in Britain!"

He was trying to make the opposite point (i.e. that few people consider that to be the case) to support his argument that ugly buildings will almost always be regarded as ugly, even years in the future, and therefore we should design buildings and homes that people like looking at.

However, hundreds of people have taken his words at face value, including the Dumfries and Galloway MP John Cooper who said: "It's awful. A concrete bunker inside, a jarring jumble outside. Entirely out of place in the Royal Mile."

And the veteran Scots journalist Andrew Neil responded: "Still looks like a dog's breakfast to me. But the inside is impressive. The political class knows how to look after itself. And exactly who has called it 'one of the most treasured and beautiful buildings in Britain'?"

Other notable critics included the former Scottish Labour MP Tom Harris, who said: "The thing about iconic buildings is that you can usually doodle something that is recognisable as the building, whether it's Big Ben or the Eiffel Tower, etc. I've lived in Scotland my entire life, I've visited Holyrood dozens of times and I can't think of one detail that sticks in my memory."

But it was the members of the public who were the most scathing about the Holyrood building. Alan Neil Duncan said: "It's an expensive eyesore. It was massively over budget and expensive when built, it's hugely expensive to maintain today and it's still an ugly concrete monstrosity. Close it down and bring in the bulldozers, add some more land to the Royal Park."

An X user called 'Tony Tabby' said: "Fanciful design at an eye-watering price. A disaster from day one, unsafe beams suspended over the chamber. A reception desk that cost £300k+, ridiculous number of overpaid flunkies to aid the pampered MSPs and the 56 List MSPs nobody voted for."

Others described it as "hideous", an "absolute eyesore" and a "waste of public money", while the mysterious Brian Spanner X account declared: "It looks like an entry in a Blue Peter competition to recreate Tracey Island."

And campaign group The Majority – which has been spearheading the #ScrapHolyrood campaign – declared simply: "It's the ugliest building in Scotland. Inside and out."

The building was designed by the controversial Spanish architect Enric Miralles, who died before it was completed. Construction began in 1999 with a cost estimate of between £109million and it finally opened in October 2004, three years behind schedule and at a cost of £430m.

The roof was inspired by upturned herring boats that Miralles once saw pulled up on a beach and he is said to have arrived at a planning meeting clutching some twigs, moss and leaves, declaring: "This is the Scottish Parliament." The curiously-shaped panels are thought to be a representation of the famous Raeburn painting of a skating minister.

He said in 1999: "We don't want to forget that the Scottish Parliament will be in Edinburgh, but will belong to Scotland, to the Scottish land. The Parliament should be able to reflect the land it represents. The building should arise from the sloping base of Arthur's Seat and arrive into the city almost surging out of the rock."

>>24782659

>>24782670

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/16696563/paedo-scots-teacher-abuse-teens-cleared-filming-schoolgirl/

BEAST CLEARED Paedo Scots teacher who sexually abuse three teens cleared of filming schoolgirl in supermarket

David Meikle

17 Aug 2026

A DISGRACED teacher who was jailed after preying on vulnerable pupils has been cleared of filming a schoolgirl in a supermarket.

Bruce Rankin, 68, was alleged to have recorded the 13-year-old in Sainsbury’s in his hometown of Strathaven, Lanarkshire.

The girl was said to have been in her school uniform when the recording was allegedly made.

It was claimed she suffered fear and alarm as a result of the alleged incident in May last year.

Rankin appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and pled not guilty to a single charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by filming her ‘without her knowledge or consent’.

Prosecutors accepted that plea and he was allowed to leave the dock after a brief hearing.

Matthew McGovern, defending, said: “He pleads not guilty to the charge on the indictment and I believe that will be accepted by the Crown.”

Depute fiscal Kevin Morrow replied: “That plea is acceptable.”

Sheriff Colin Dunipace told Rankin: “On the basis that your not guilty plea has been accepted, you are free to go.”

Rankin was jailed for 16 months in 2020 after he abused a girl who was between 13 and 15 as well as another who was 16.

He pled guilty to charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour and indecent assault between March 2007 and September 2010 and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

The serial offender was jailed for 18 months in 2017 after admitting abusing three girls, including two pupils at the school where he taught.

A probe revealed he had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Glasgow city centre and at her house during a party.

Investigations further revealed Rankin had sexually assaulted a girl in a church hall in 2014.

However, that sentence was quashed at the Appeal Court in Edinburgh and he was handed 150 hours of unpaid work and put under supervision for three years.

Rankin retired from teaching in 2014 less than a year after he was given a written warning regarding his conduct in the classroom and was later struck off.

>>24782659

>>24782670

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/16682141/scots-teacher-guilty-sexually-assaulting-schoolgirl/

SHAMED SIR Scots high school teacher found guilty of sexually assaulting schoolgirl, 15

Gary Fitzpatrick

13 Aug 2026

A PERV teacher sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in his car and during a ‘movie night’.

Modern Studies sir Cameron Montgomery, 28, targeted the youngster at his home in Crombie, Fife.

He also carried out another sex attack on the teen in his motor.

Montgomery was a teacher at Beath High in Cowdenbeath at the time of the offences.

The victim was not a pupil.

The creep – who also marked for the Scottish Qualifications Authority – has now been put on the sex offenders register after a jury convicted him folliowing a four-day trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

The girl said in her evidence that she had gone to Montgomery’s home to watch films in June last year.

They had been sitting next to each other on the sofa when Montgomery started to touch and grope her leg, moving up to her thigh.

She said she “just sat there” and could not believe what Montgomery was doing when he started feeling her leg. It lasted for 10 minutes and she told him to stop.

She said that Montgomery had told her he had “wanted to do it for a while” and later made her “pinkie promise” not to tell anyone.

She said that Montgomery asked her if there was anything he could do “to make up for it”.

The victim said that afterwards Montgomery had driven her home and told her not to speak about what had happened.

But that night she contacted a friend and asked her to come over to the house.

She told the girl what had happened and the friend confirmed this in her evidence.

The victim did not tell family members until they were on holiday together in England the following month.

Loved ones then reported the matter to the police and the holiday was cut short.

The first sexual assault took place last February in Montgomery’s car when he stopped to charge it up in Crossford, Fife.

He claimed he only “scratched her head in a comforting way” as she seemed to be tired.

In the second ‘movie night’ assault he said he similarly scratched her leg to comfort her as they watched a film.

He denied any of the sexual allegations took place, saying, “absolutely not”.

He claimed that during the movie night the girl had told him she had been sexually assaulted by someone she knew.

He said she did not name the person involved.

At one point, the sheriff warned Montgomery about making negative comments about the girl after he had spoken about her having a “toxic” home life.

Montgomery was convicted of two sexual assaults and was tearful in court ahead of the guilty verdict being delivered.

Sheriff Susan Duff(This cow shouldn't even be allowed to practice, her husband…Sheriff Alastair Duff was caught talking about abusing children on a zoom conference by three judges, after he forgot to close the call. Incidentally, he was fined for "breach of the peace", no sexual element acknowledged)called for reports and put Montgomery on the sex offenders register.

Bail was granted and sentencing will take place on October 7.

>>24935647

>>24919384

>>24838852

>>24782672

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/16604124/nicola-sturgeon-furious-cops-called-mrs-murrell/

NICOLA MURRELL? Nicola Sturgeon FURIOUS after cops called her ‘Mrs Murrell’ during high-profile raid amid SNP fraud probe

Conor Matchett

26 Jul 2026

NICOLA Sturgeon was “raging” with detectives for calling her “Mrs Murrell” during the infamous raid on her marital home, sources have claimed.

The ex-First Minister is said to have grumpily told cops not to address her by the surname of her fraudster husband, who was arrested on the same day.

Officers also erected a so-called “murder tent” in the garden of the couple’s property near Glasgow as they seized luxury goods bought by former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, 61, using £400,000 embezzled from the party.

Recalling the raid in April 2023, a legal source said: “She was not happy at all. She was raging. She told officers her name was Sturgeon and to address her as such.

“The officers were a bit surprised and bewildered.”

Ms Sturgeon — mocked as “Mrs Murrell” by online trolls — declined to comment.

But her lawyer Aamer Anwar said yesterday: “What century are we living in? This really is pathetic.”

We told how the ex-Nats leader was arrested two months later before being cleared of wrongdoing.

But it has been claimed police were frustrated by the SNP during their probe into her estranged spouse’s 12-year crime spree.

A source told The Sunday Times: “Fully co-operated? It was anything but. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“At each and every turn they put up obstacles. Even as the police made progress on the case, they [the SNP] continued to make things difficult.”

Murrell admitted embezzlement and was sentenced to five years and three months in jail last month at the High Court in Edinburgh.

The SNP said: “A comprehensive investigation was carried out.

“Police uncovered that the SNP had been the victim of embezzlement.”

>>24782679

https://x.com/EthicalApproach/status/2071205496959189350

ETHICAL APPROACH UK

@EthicalApproach

Some official documents quietly disappear into history.

They should not.

In February 2006, the Department of Health, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the predecessor of today's National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the Health & Safety Executive jointly published a Memorandum of Understanding on the investigation of serious patient safety incidents.

Reading it twenty years later is a remarkable experience.

It speaks repeatedly of:

• openness rather than concealment;

• recognising concerns;

• preserving evidence;

• early communication between agencies;

• coordinated investigation;

• supporting NHS staff and patients; and

• maintaining public confidence through proper investigative processes.

Most striking of all is its purpose - It states that serious patient safety incidents must be handled correctly "for the sake of public safety as well as confidence in the NHS, police and HSE and in the interests of fairness and justice."

Those are not my words - They are the words of a national framework agreed by Government, policing leadership and the Health & Safety Executive almost twenty years ago.

Understanding documents such as this is essential, because before we can fairly assess how institutions responded to later events, we first need to understand the standards those same institutions had already established for themselves.

Sometimes the most important evidence is not hidden. It has simply been waiting patiently in the public record all along.

1:14 PM · Jun 28, 2026

·

732

Views

>>24782679

https://x.com/EthicalApproach/status/2045466802923155695

ETHICAL APPROACH UK

@EthicalApproach

How about a little weekend puzzle for us all to join in….

Here we go…

On 14 January 2022, an internal police email was received by Operation Talla Silver Commander, Assistant Chief Constable Owen Weatherill, which reported on the "success" of the police "to not record" criminal complaints sought to be made by the public, in relation to alleged Covid crimes.

I released the Speirs directive into the public domain in March 2025 (more than 3 years later).

Then, in April 2025, soon after the Speirs directive was revealed to the public, Owen Weatherill who by this time, more than 3 years later, had already left his operational policing role and was instead, the NPCC lead for the Covid Public Inquiry, forwarded the "to not record" email to an undisclosed third party.

Now, here's the bit for you to think about…

(1) Why do you think, after more than 3 years and very soon after the Speirs directive became known to the public, did Owen suddenly decide to forward the email to someone, and

(2) Who do you think the recipient(s) might have been?

Take your time. There is no rush.

Image

Last edited

12:37 PM · Apr 18, 2026

·

2,094

Views

>>24782679

https://x.com/EthicalApproach/status/2045126257419989105

ETHICAL APPROACH UK

@EthicalApproach

·

Apr 17

When the judiciary departs from fact, logic, and law - what remains?

The judicial oath requires decisions to be made “without fear or favour” and in fidelity to the law itself.

That is not a formality. It is the entire foundation of judicial authority.

But a more difficult question now arises. What happens when:

• facts are clear,

• logic is immovable,

• the law is settled,

…but the consequence of applying them would expose the system itself?

This paper examines that precise constitutional fault line.

It asks a structural question:

Does the system always permit the law to operate against itself?

Because where evidence is sidestepped, reasoning diverges from logic and legal principles are quietly narrowed, the issue is no longer error. It is alignment.

When alignment replaces adjudication, something fundamental shifts - The court ceases to be the place where the State is tested by law…and instead becomes the place where the law is adjusted to accommodate the State.

The consequences are not abstract. Judicial authority depends on one premise alone - That outcomes are derived - not managed.

Once that premise is doubted, credibility fractures, confidence erodes and silence begins to carry more weight than judgment because the public does not require perfection - it requires this:

That when facts and logic lead somewhere uncomfortable…..the court follows them anyway.

Full paper here:

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/judiciary_evidence_logic_and_rule_of_law.pdf

When the Judiciary Set Aside Facts, Logic and the Rule of Law, in Order to Protect the System and the State

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 17 April 2026

Executive Summary

This paper addresses a constitutional question of exceptional gravity:

Whether judicial decision-making, in certain circumstances, departs from the disciplined application of facts, logic and established legal principle, in favour of preserving institutional stability or protecting the interests of the State.

pages 1-4 of 13

>>24782679

>>24946315

………………………………………………………………………continued2………………………………………………………………………

https://x.com/EthicalApproach/status/2045126257419989105

ETHICAL APPROACH UK

@EthicalApproach

·

Apr 17

When the judiciary departs from fact, logic, and law - what remains?

The judicial oath requires decisions to be made “without fear or favour” and in fidelity to the law itself.

That is not a formality. It is the entire foundation of judicial authority.

But a more difficult question now arises. What happens when:

• facts are clear,

• logic is immovable,

• the law is settled,

…but the consequence of applying them would expose the system itself?

This paper examines that precise constitutional fault line.

It asks a structural question:

Does the system always permit the law to operate against itself?

Because where evidence is sidestepped, reasoning diverges from logic and legal principles are quietly narrowed, the issue is no longer error. It is alignment.

When alignment replaces adjudication, something fundamental shifts - The court ceases to be the place where the State is tested by law…and instead becomes the place where the law is adjusted to accommodate the State.

The consequences are not abstract. Judicial authority depends on one premise alone - That outcomes are derived - not managed.

Once that premise is doubted, credibility fractures, confidence erodes and silence begins to carry more weight than judgment because the public does not require perfection - it requires this:

That when facts and logic lead somewhere uncomfortable…..the court follows them anyway.

Full paper here:

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/judiciary_evidence_logic_and_rule_of_law.pdf

When the Judiciary Set Aside Facts, Logic and the Rule of Law, in Order to Protect the System and the State

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 17 April 2026

Executive Summary

This paper addresses a constitutional question of exceptional gravity:

Whether judicial decision-making, in certain circumstances, departs from the disciplined application of facts, logic and established legal principle, in favour of preserving institutional stability or protecting the interests of the State.

pages 5-9 of 13

>>24782679

>>24946315

>>24946344

……………………………………………………………………….continued……………………………………………………………………….

https://x.com/EthicalApproach/status/2045126257419989105

ETHICAL APPROACH UK

@EthicalApproach

·

Apr 17

When the judiciary departs from fact, logic, and law - what remains?

The judicial oath requires decisions to be made “without fear or favour” and in fidelity to the law itself.

That is not a formality. It is the entire foundation of judicial authority.

But a more difficult question now arises. What happens when:

• facts are clear,

• logic is immovable,

• the law is settled,

…but the consequence of applying them would expose the system itself?

This paper examines that precise constitutional fault line.

It asks a structural question:

Does the system always permit the law to operate against itself?

Because where evidence is sidestepped, reasoning diverges from logic and legal principles are quietly narrowed, the issue is no longer error. It is alignment.

When alignment replaces adjudication, something fundamental shifts - The court ceases to be the place where the State is tested by law…and instead becomes the place where the law is adjusted to accommodate the State.

The consequences are not abstract. Judicial authority depends on one premise alone - That outcomes are derived - not managed.

Once that premise is doubted, credibility fractures, confidence erodes and silence begins to carry more weight than judgment because the public does not require perfection - it requires this:

That when facts and logic lead somewhere uncomfortable…..the court follows them anyway.

Full paper here:

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/judiciary_evidence_logic_and_rule_of_law.pdf

When the Judiciary Set Aside Facts, Logic and the Rule of Law, in Order to Protect the System and the State

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 17 April 2026

Executive Summary

This paper addresses a constitutional question of exceptional gravity:

Whether judicial decision-making, in certain circumstances, departs from the disciplined application of facts, logic and established legal principle, in favour of preserving institutional stability or protecting the interests of the State.

pages 10-13 of 13

>>24782679

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/the_fear_of_logic.pdf

The fear of logic

Logic Will Bring the Truth to the Masses

It Is What the State Fears More Than Anything

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 15 April 2026

Executive Summary

States do not fear noise.

They do not fear outrage.

They do not fear dissent in its most visible forms.

What they fear is something far quieter.

They fear logic….because logic does not shout. It does not persuade by force and most importantly, it does not rely upon any authority or positional power. It proceeds step by step, from premise to conclusion, until resistance becomes unsustainable and appears utterly ridiculous.

This paper examines why logic, when applied consistently to matters of public administration and justice, presents a uniquely destabilising force to any structure which depends upon inconsistency, ambiguity, or controlled narrative.

1. The Nature of Logic

Logic is not opinion.

It is not belief.

It is not allegiance.

It is:

• the disciplined connection between facts,

• the ordering of those facts into sequence, and

• the drawing of conclusions which follow inevitably from them.

It requires only two things:

accurate premises, and honest progression between them.

Where those exist, the conclusion is not chosen - It is arrived at.

2. The Incompatibility Between Logic and Narrative Control

Modern governance often operates through:

• framing

• messaging

• managed interpretation of events

This is not necessarily inherently improper, but it becomes problematic where the narrative diverges from underlying fact, or the structure of decision-making cannot withstand scrutiny.

In such circumstances, logic becomes disruptive because logic does not ask, “What are we told?”

It asks, “What follows?”

Where the answer does not align with the narrative, the narrative weakens.

Pages 1-5 of 8

>>24948420, >>24782679

……………………………………………………………..continued………………………………………………………………

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/the_fear_of_logic.pdf

The fear of logic

Logic Will Bring the Truth to the Masses

It Is What the State Fears More Than Anything

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 15 April 2026

Executive Summary

States do not fear noise.

They do not fear outrage.

They do not fear dissent in its most visible forms.

What they fear is something far quieter.

They fear logic….because logic does not shout. It does not persuade by force and most importantly, it does not rely upon any authority or positional power. It proceeds step by step, from premise to conclusion, until resistance becomes unsustainable and appears utterly ridiculous.

This paper examines why logic, when applied consistently to matters of public administration and justice, presents a uniquely destabilising force to any structure which depends upon inconsistency, ambiguity, or controlled narrative.

1. The Nature of Logic

Logic is not opinion.

It is not belief.

It is not allegiance.

It is:

• the disciplined connection between facts,

• the ordering of those facts into sequence, and

• the drawing of conclusions which follow inevitably from them.

It requires only two things:

accurate premises, and honest progression between them.

Where those exist, the conclusion is not chosen - It is arrived at.

2. The Incompatibility Between Logic and Narrative Control

Modern governance often operates through:

• framing

• messaging

• managed interpretation of events

This is not necessarily inherently improper, but it becomes problematic where the narrative diverges from underlying fact, or the structure of decision-making cannot withstand scrutiny.

In such circumstances, logic becomes disruptive because logic does not ask, “What are we told?”

It asks, “What follows?”

Where the answer does not align with the narrative, the narrative weakens.

Pages 6-8 of 8

>>24782679

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/what_is_the_cjssc.pdf

What is the CJSSC?

The Inception, History, Structure and Activity of the Criminal Justice System Strategic Command Structure (CJSSC)

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 26 March 2026

1. Introduction

This paper provides a detailed, evidence-based examination of the inception, historical development, structural composition and operational activity of the entity referred to as the Criminal Justice System Strategic Command Structure (CJSSC).

The CJSSC is a cross-system coordination mechanism operating at senior leadership level across the criminal justice system of England and Wales.

Despite its apparent operational significance, it has received limited sustained public or parliamentary scrutiny.

The purpose of this paper is threefold:

• To identify and trace the earliest available evidence of the

CJSSC and its origins;

• To set out, with precision, its structure and operational

characteristics;

• To consider the constitutional implications arising from its existence and function.

This paper proceeds on the basis of documentary evidence, including official publications and primary-source testimony.

It does not advance allegation. It identifies structure, function, and consequence.

Pages 1-5 of 12

>>24948565

>>24782679

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/what_is_the_cjssc.pdf

What is the CJSSC?

The Inception, History, Structure and Activity of the Criminal Justice System Strategic Command Structure (CJSSC)

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 26 March 2026

1. Introduction

This paper provides a detailed, evidence-based examination of the inception, historical development, structural composition and operational activity of the entity referred to as the Criminal Justice System Strategic Command Structure (CJSSC).

The CJSSC is a cross-system coordination mechanism operating at senior leadership level across the criminal justice system of England and Wales.

Despite its apparent operational significance, it has received limited sustained public or parliamentary scrutiny.

The purpose of this paper is threefold:

• To identify and trace the earliest available evidence of the

CJSSC and its origins;

• To set out, with precision, its structure and operational

characteristics;

• To consider the constitutional implications arising from its existence and function.

This paper proceeds on the basis of documentary evidence, including official publications and primary-source testimony.

It does not advance allegation. It identifies structure, function, and consequence.

Pages 6-10 of 12

>>24948565

>>24782679

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/what_is_the_cjssc.pdf

What is the CJSSC?

The Inception, History, Structure and Activity of the Criminal Justice System Strategic Command Structure (CJSSC)

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 26 March 2026

1. Introduction

This paper provides a detailed, evidence-based examination of the inception, historical development, structural composition and operational activity of the entity referred to as the Criminal Justice System Strategic Command Structure (CJSSC).

The CJSSC is a cross-system coordination mechanism operating at senior leadership level across the criminal justice system of England and Wales.

Despite its apparent operational significance, it has received limited sustained public or parliamentary scrutiny.

The purpose of this paper is threefold:

• To identify and trace the earliest available evidence of the

CJSSC and its origins;

• To set out, with precision, its structure and operational

characteristics;

• To consider the constitutional implications arising from its existence and function.

This paper proceeds on the basis of documentary evidence, including official publications and primary-source testimony.

It does not advance allegation. It identifies structure, function, and consequence.

Pages 1-5 of 12>>24948607

>>24782670

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx258r7nedlo

Wait time for High Court trials set to triple by 2028

Selena Jackson

20 August 2026

The wait time before people accused of the most serious crimes in Scotland will appear at a High Court trial is set to almost triple by 2028.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) forecasts that the average wait after pleading diet – when the accused first appears at a hearing – will increase from 50 weeks to 135 weeks.

It comes as the number of High Court indictments served by the Crown Office is expected to exceed 2,700 this year, compared to 935 in 2023/24.

SCTS said much of the case load is due to increased rates of prosecution of serious sexual offences, domestic abuse and organised crime.

SCTS chief executive Malcolm Graham told BBC Scotland News: "Around 70% of the cases that come to trial in the High Court are serious sexual offences and that has increased hugely over a very small number of years.

"In some regards it's a huge success that society and the agencies involved are able to tackle the scourge that our society faces.

"But the system needs to be prepared to deal with that"

Graham says the potential impact of such long trial delays on everyone involved - victims, witnesses and those accused - is concerning.

"It doesn't serve people's needs if there's uncertainty," he added.

"If there's a length of time between when a crime is committed and when a case comes to trial, or when it's concluded in some other way, the longer that is, then the more impact that has on victims.

"There is some evidence that having an extended period [makes it] far more likely for victims and witnesses not to be able to fully engage in the process for all sorts of different reasons."

>>24963977

>>24782670

…………………………………………………………..continued………………………………………………………….

The High Court currently sits at 10 venues around Scotland, but it will expand to four more Sheriff Courts next year at Airdrie, Dunfermline, Edinburgh and Glasgow, in order to increase capacity.

This will allow up 26 trials to sit each day, compared to 16 at the start of the decade.

Paper-based systems

Graham said the focus of SCTS continued to be on trying to reduce the length of time people wait for the outcome of a case, but they need around £62m over five years to update court processes and reform criminal case management.

He said: "We haven't got joined up data systems. We haven't got digital systems that are shared across the organisations from the police to the Crown to the courts to criminal justice social workers.

"We're able to put in place much more efficient ways of transferring information that rely on modern technology and not on paper-based systems.

"I don't think it's a stretch to say that the fundamental processes that underpin how criminal courts are run, still look like they might have looked like around about 100 years ago."

Calls for modernisation are being backed across the legal profession.

Tony Lenehan KC, vice dean of the Faculty of Advocates, says the way he works has changed significantly.

"I have made the transition from carting dozens of kilos or hundreds of kilos of papers to cases into court for big cases to just carrying my laptop," he said.

"The more we move towards everything being accessible in a digital way, it streamlines everything.

"That's going to have benefits right across the system."

Lenehan also said that timely access to a trial is a fundamental right of those accused of crimes.

He said backlogs were affecting the more than 2,000 people on remand in Scotland's prisons - who are awaiting trial and have not yet been convicted.

He added: "There will be people who are spending time on remand just about equivalent to the sentence that they're going to get if they're convicted - and these are people who are presumed to be innocent.

"People should only be deprived of their liberty where it's absolutely essential and for as short a period as possible."

Effective rehabilitation

The Scottish Prison Service said the size and complexity of the current prison population was "unsustainable".

It said it posed a significant risk to the safety of inmates and staff and limits the ability to deliver effective rehabilitation.

A spokesperson said: "We need a safe and sustainable prison population, including those on remand, to ensure we can fully support those in our care, reduce the risk of reoffending, and help build the safer communities we all want to see."

Victim Support Scotland said an increase in high court trials was a "positive step" towards tackling court backlogs.

Chief executive Debbie Adams said: "One delay has a knock-on effect for the entire justice process, so anything that can be done to help reduce the time victims spend waiting is welcome."

Justice Secretary Neil Gray told the BBC's Radio Scotland Breakfast programme that there had been an overall reduction in court backlogs because of better information and evidence-sharing happening through the summary case management process - which is reducing the number of trials heard by judges in sheriff courts.

He added: "I recognise the substantial challenge there is in the High Court space.

"That's where I'll be working with Malcolm Graham as well as colleagues across government on where we can take forward the similar processes that have been so successful in the summary case management process in order to see those potential delays ameliorated or mitigated."

The Scottish government said it would invest £11.6bn across the justice system in 2026-27 to 2028-29.

A spokesperson added that reforms were required to "respond to society's changing needs, remove duplication and ensure there are modern user-centred digital services".

Examples of this include expanding digital evidence sharing capability and enabling police and expert witnesses to give their evidence remotely.

>>24782670

>>24782672

>>24782663

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16064733/Police-chief-asked-publication-highly-critical-report-misconduct-discipline-delayed-ahead-election.html

Police chief asked for publication of highly critical report into misconduct and discipline to be delayed ahead of election

GRAHAM GRANT

20 August 2026

Scotland's police chief asked for publication of a highly critical watchdog report into misconduct and discipline to be delayed ahead of the Holyrood election.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) Craig Naylor said he was ready to publish the findings of a major review into Police Scotland conduct and discipline in March.

But Chief Constable Jo Farrell stepped in four days before to lobby for a delay.

The Mail revealed in March that the report – which was finally published after polling day – had been withheld after Ms Farrell’s intervention, now confirmed by Mr Naylor’s annual report.

Critics accused the force of undermining confidence in the independence of the scrutiny process.

In his report, Mr Naylor said: ‘We were ready to publish the findings of our review in March 2026, but temporarily paused publication following requests from the Chief Constable of Police Scotland and the chief executive of the SPA [Chris Brown], who asked for time to consider any potential implications for proceedings that were ongoing.’

He added: ‘No changes were made to the review report during the period while publication was paused.’

It is understood the delay was requested because Deputy Chief Constable Jane Connors had been accused of bullying and remains under investigation.

The review examined the state, effectiveness and efficiency of officer and staff conduct and discipline arrangements within Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority (SPA).

When the delay emerged earlier this year, the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents voiced concern that it risked undermining confidence in the transparency of the process.

A policing source described the decision to delay as ‘scandalous’.

Police Scotland said at the time that HMICS had ‘agreed to provide further time to consider the potential implications for ongoing matters’.

The HMICS misconduct report, published in late May, said police chiefs were failing to reach ‘expected standards of professional behaviour’.

It also revealed the force had failed to report all allegations of senior officer wrongdoing to the SPA.

Officials at the SPA, the civilian oversight body for policing, ‘sought advice from other senior officers within Police Scotland about how to progress concerns involving their peers’.

It resulted in 24 recommendations aimed at improving professional standards, organisational learning, leadership behaviour, wellbeing support and accountability.

Got this from General Research

>>24782659

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/16730886/paedo-teacher-collapses-sentencing/

COURT DRAMA Notorious paedophile teacher branded ‘Scotland’s worst’ COLLAPSES in court during sentencing

Jamie Pyatt

25 Aug 2026

SHAMED ex-teacher Iain Wares – wanted for sex crimes against 68 schoolboys in Scotland – collapsed during a sentencing hearing for indecent assault in South Africa.

Convicted paedophile Wares, 87, could have been jailed for five years after being found guilty of indecently assaulting a 12-year-old former pupil in Cape Town in 1988.

But at Wynberg Magistrates Court yesterday his defence social worker had just begun giving her risk assessment of Wares for potential threats he could pose in the future.

But after 30 minutes of evidence the court broke for lunch and Wares and wife Rosemary went to a nearby café and after sitting down Wares suddenly slumped to his right.

A passer-by caught him and propped him up but the married father-of-one was struggling for breath and while a friend tried to call an ambulance locals rushed to his aid.

He was in a state of collapse and unable to support himself as he sat at a dining bench.

After 3 or 4 minutes Wares opened his eyes and slowly began to breathe normally and was helped back into a seating position and was told a medic was on route to him.

He said he felt too weak to walk the 100 yards back to the court in Cape Town after lunch.

When the court resumed at 2pm magistrate Vanessa Miki was told by Wares’s defence lawyer William Fullard that his client had suffered a medical emergency in the lunch break.

It is understood that Wares suffers from Type 2 Diabetes and when he entered the court at 8am the rules state that he cannot take food inside and he began to feel unwell.

He told his wife after his collapse: “I went too long without food. Did I faint? I have fainted before but nothing like this. I can’t remember anything that happened”

His daughter and son-in-law raced to the cafe and took him away for medical attention.

The magistrate accepted that Wares could not return to court and the social worker giving evidence Mrs Arima Smit was told the case would be adjourned until September 4.

The medical delay follows the forced adjournment of the sentencing hearing last month when Wares failed to appear claiming to have shingles and a warrant was issued for his arrest by the court.

However the warrant was cancelled when his defence lawyer provided a medical letter confirming the decision and on a strict understanding that he would appear before the court yesterday.

It is the second medical delay in a row that has put back sentencing for two months following a string of other defence led adjournments since he was convicted in March of a sex crime.

Social worker Mrs Smit had earlier said that in assessing any potential future dangers Wares posed she would take into account matters against him that had been raised internationally.

That referred to Wares facing extradition to Scotland on 90 charges of rape, indecent assault and physical assault against 65 boys he taught in Edinburgh between 1968 and 1979.

Wares has already been found extraditable from his native South Africa to Scotland on 3 charges of indecent assault on 3 other boys with all 93 victims aged between 8 and 13.

But the extradition case which is running in parallel with the indecent assault case in a separate court cannot send him back to Scotland before the local case is dealt with.

When Wares is sentenced if he gets a prison sentence he cannot be extradited until he has served it but a more lenient suspended sentence or less means he can be extradited.

Wares was found guilty in March of a shocking series of sex attacks against “Stephen” who was aged 12 in the corridors of Rondebosch Boys School in Cape Town in 1988.

The court heard he would push him up against the wall and shout at him for “not having his shirt tucked in” and would tuck it in and then roughly fondle his penis and anus.

The victim who cannot be identified is now a 48-year-old father-of-two who said he was too terrified of teacher Wares to report him at the time to the school or his parents.

Wares had pleaded not guilty but admitted he must have taught the boy geography and rugby but said he did not remember him and never assaulted anyone at the school.

However magistrates Ms Miki found him guilty as charged in March and the case has been adjourned three times since to allow preparation of defence social service reports.

>>24973488

>>24782659

…………………………………………………………………..continued…………………………………………………………………

It was also adjourned a fourth time last month when Wares fell ill with shingles.

Scottish Police had Wares arrested by Interpol in October last year for 90 alleged offences against former pupils in Edinburgh which include rape, indecent and physical assault.

His extradition case is running at Simon’s Town Magistrates Court near his home at an exclusive retirement village in Fish Hoek with both just 20 miles from Cape Town

On September 22 the State prosecutor Miss Maresa Engelbrecht will formally put the 90 charges in front of the court and ask the magistrate to find Wares extraditable on all.

If magistrate Mr Luftie Van Rhodie finds the charges alleged against Wares under Scottish law are also an offence under South African law he will rule that he must be extradited.

The SA Minister of Justice has to rubber stamp the ruling and then the Scottish Police will be invited to fly to Cape Town where Interpol will hand Wares over into their custody.

Wares has instructed advocate Ben Prinsloo to defend his extradition and has also claimed before that it would be unfair to return him due to his old age and his failing health.

Wares was first arrested in 2018 by Interpol for sex crimes in Scotland and was ruled extraditable in 2019 but took the case to the Court of Appeal which he lost in 2024.

It found him extraditable on 3 of the 7 charges that had been made against him.

However during the appeal process Wares was again arrested in 2023 after “Stephen” claimed he had been the victim of indecent assault and SA police then charged him.

Under South African law despite the appeal court ruling in 2024 that Wares could be sent back to Scotland any offence alleged to have happened in SA has to dealt with first.

Which means the indecent assault case had to be completed first at Wynberg Magistrates.

But whilst his extradition was put on ice the Scottish authorities were flooded with claims from dozens of former pupils in Edinburgh that wanted Wares had also abused them.

Whilst Wares was going through the indecent assault case it gave them an opportunity to put together what they believe to be are 90 watertight fresh charges for extradition.

All the alleged offences were said to have happened while Wares was teaching at both the elite Edinburgh Academy and Fettes College before he fled back to South Africa in 1980.

Wares made his 35th appearance today in the long drawn-out case yesterday for sentence.

BBC radio presenter Nicky Campbell has been spearheading the campaign for Wares to be extradited from South Africa on offences for which he dubbed him “Jimmy Savile 2”.

Campbell, OBE, bravely admitted he was abused at one of the two schools Wares taught at, although not by him, but said he witnessed him sexually molesting friends of his.

Tyfyattm

>>24782679

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/CJSSC_Pandemic_Enforcement_Paradox_Report.pdf

The Criminal Justice System Strategic Command and the Paradox of Pandemic Enforcement

A Short Constitutional Analysis

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 14 March 2026

Introduction

The Criminal Justice System Strategic Command (CJSSC) appears to operate as a cross‑agency coordination structure designed to ensure that the criminal justice system in England and Wales remains operational during periods of exceptional strain.

Evidence presented to the UK Covid‑19 Inquiry indicates that CJSSC brought together senior leadership from across the justice system, including policing bodies, the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, HM Prison and Probation Service and the Ministry of Justice. Such coordination structures are not unusual in modern governance. Large public systems frequently develop mechanisms intended to maintain stability during national emergencies or periods of unusually high demand. However, the experience of pandemic enforcement raises an important constitutional question concerning the relationship between crisis governance and the rule of law.

Pages 1-4 of 7

>>24982127

>>24782679

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/CJSSC_Pandemic_Enforcement_Paradox_Report.pdf

The Criminal Justice System Strategic Command and the Paradox of Pandemic Enforcement

A Short Constitutional Analysis

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 14 March 2026

Introduction

The Criminal Justice System Strategic Command (CJSSC) appears to operate as a cross‑agency coordination structure designed to ensure that the criminal justice system in England and Wales remains operational during periods of exceptional strain.

Evidence presented to the UK Covid‑19 Inquiry indicates that CJSSC brought together senior leadership from across the justice system, including policing bodies, the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, HM Prison and Probation Service and the Ministry of Justice. Such coordination structures are not unusual in modern governance. Large public systems frequently develop mechanisms intended to maintain stability during national emergencies or periods of unusually high demand. However, the experience of pandemic enforcement raises an important constitutional question concerning the relationship between crisis governance and the rule of law.

Pages 5-7 of 7

>>24782679

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/CJSSC_Hypothesis_Paper.pdf

Was CJSSC Designed to Prevent Systemic Overload in the Criminal Justice System?

A Hypothesis Paper on Emergency Governance and Criminal Justice Capacity

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 12 March 2026

Introduction

The Criminal Justice System Strategic Command (CJSSC) is a cross‑agency coordination structure operating across the criminal justice system in England and Wales.

Evidence provided to the UK Covid‑19 Inquiry indicates that CJSSC brought together senior leadership from multiple institutions responsible for different stages of the justice process.

These institutions included policing leadership, the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, HM Prison and Probation Service and relevant government departments.

Witness evidence describes the CJSSC as taking “overall responsibility for the multi‑agency management of an incident or crisis” and establishing “a common policy and strategic framework” across participating agencies.

Source:

https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/18143405/INQ000188838.pdf

The existence of such a structure raises a broader governance question: What types of crisis scenarios were these coordination mechanisms designed to manage?

Whilst the so-called pandemic represented one such apparent crisis, evidence suggests that CJSSC existed prior to COVID‑19 as part of wider resilience planning.

This paper therefore explores the hypothesis that CJSSC may represent a contingency structure intended to prevent systemic overload in the criminal justice system when faced with other potential or perceived extraordinary investigative or operational demand.

Pages 1-5 of 9

>>24982315

>>24782679

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/CJSSC_Hypothesis_Paper.pdf

Was CJSSC Designed to Prevent Systemic Overload in the Criminal Justice System?

A Hypothesis Paper on Emergency Governance and Criminal Justice Capacity

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 12 March 2026

Introduction

The Criminal Justice System Strategic Command (CJSSC) is a cross‑agency coordination structure operating across the criminal justice system in England and Wales.

Evidence provided to the UK Covid‑19 Inquiry indicates that CJSSC brought together senior leadership from multiple institutions responsible for different stages of the justice process.

These institutions included policing leadership, the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, HM Prison and Probation Service and relevant government departments.

Witness evidence describes the CJSSC as taking “overall responsibility for the multi‑agency management of an incident or crisis” and establishing “a common policy and strategic framework” across participating agencies.

Source:

https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/18143405/INQ000188838.pdf

The existence of such a structure raises a broader governance question: What types of crisis scenarios were these coordination mechanisms designed to manage?

Whilst the so-called pandemic represented one such apparent crisis, evidence suggests that CJSSC existed prior to COVID‑19 as part of wider resilience planning.

This paper therefore explores the hypothesis that CJSSC may represent a contingency structure intended to prevent systemic overload in the criminal justice system when faced with other potential or perceived extraordinary investigative or operational demand.

Pages 6-9 of 9

>>24782664

>>24983627

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/anger-nicola-sturgeon-top-nats-37597002

Anger as Nicola Sturgeon and other top Nats STILL haven't given evidence to SNP's Covid Inquiry

Exclusive: Alex Cole-Hamilton says it is 'shocking' that no SNP ministers have given written statements to the pandemic inquiry they set up more than four years ago

Ben Borland

27 Aug 2026

More than four years after the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry was set up in February 2022, no current or former Scottish Government ministers have supplied written statements or testimony under oath.

This includes former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who was tearfully hauled over the coals at the UK Covid-19 Inquiry as long ago as January 2024 and then lambasted in its official report into political decision-making published in November last year.

Earlier this week, the leading solicitor Aamer Anwar blasted the inquiry – which has cost £60million to date – and asked why none of the "implementers" of healthcare policy and decisions had been heard from to this point.

More than 400 written statements have been published by the inquiry team, from a huge range of individuals and organisations. They range from Professor Anders Tegnell, the former State Epidemiologist of Sweden, to the Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Pagan Federation.

However, nothing has yet been submitted in writing by the first minister who led the Scottish Government through the pandemic, her successor Humza Yousaf who was appointed health secretary in 2021 or the current occupant of Bute House who was Covid recovery secretary.

In fact, the Scottish Government has submitted nothing since an opening statement was delivered by Geoffrey Mitchell KC in October 2023. He said the "pain, suffering, sacrifice and endurance" of people across the country was "recognised, understood and acknowledged by the Scottish Government".

He added: "Yet, 'recognition', 'understanding' and 'acknowledgement' are plainly not sufficient. The Scottish Government understands that legitimate questions arise as to whether the suffering needed to have been so great."

Dozens of those people who made sacrifices and experienced pain and suffering have spoken to the inquiry over the past three years since the first hearings were held in August 2023, including frontline workers and those who lost loved ones due to the disease.

>>24983733

……………………………………………………………..continued………………………………………………………………

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: "It is shocking that no minister appears to have given evidence to the Scottish inquiry, despite it being set up over four years ago. People deserve an inquiry that will explain why the SNP government allowed Covid positive patients to be discharged into care homes.

"They deserve to know why Nicola Sturgeon broke her promise to bereaved families by deleting every single one of her WhatsApp messages. Lessons need to be learned, and they need to be learned without any further delay."

In his statement, Mr Anwar contrasted the inquiry's progress under Lord Brailsford with the rapid pace of the parallel UK-wide probe Baroness Heather Hallett. He said: "Meanwhile, the UK Covid Inquiry, which was established after the Scottish Inquiry, has completed all its evidential hearings, it called successive Prime Ministers, former First Ministers, senior civil servants, chief scientists, chief medical officers, health ministers and cabinet secretaries for health and key decision-makers from all sectors."

In an update earlier this week, Lord Brailsford said the next phase of the inquiry will hear from seven organisations: COSLA, NHS National Services Scotland, Public Health Scotland, the Care Inspectorate, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA – now Qualifications Scotland), the Private Care Sector, and Police Scotland.

He explained that the inquiry had been deliberately structured to keep "senior government officials and elected Ministers" to the latter stages when "all available evidence" has been heard.

A spokesman for the inquiry said: "The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry started its investigations by examining the public impacts of the pandemic in Scotland. We finished those oral hearings in June 2025.

"The Inquiry has now shifted its focus to implementation and decision-making, including by Scottish politicians. The Inquiry chose to hear the evidence of those most impacted by the pandemic at the earliest possible opportunity to allow them to give their best evidence, and to help inform the Inquiry’s further investigations. Structuring our investigations in this way means that the Inquiry can ensure that it has at its full disposal all available evidence, before hearing from the senior government officials and elected Ministers, who were responsible for taking the decisions on how best to respond to the pandemic.

"The Chair remains fully committed to conducting a comprehensive and robust investigation and to reporting as soon as possible."

Where are they now?

What has happened to the key Scottish Government decision-makers from the pandemic?

Nicola Sturgeon: Retired from frontline politics and living in London to avoid the fall-out after her husband, Peter Murrell, admitted embezzling more than £400k from the SNP

John Swinney: He was Education Secretary during the two lengthy school closures before being appointed as Covid Recovery Secretary in May 2021. He is now the First Minister

Humza Yousaf: Appointed as Health Secretary in May 2021, he undermined the claim that it was government policy to delete WhatsApp messages by retaining his. He is retired from frontline politics and working on his memoirs

Jeane Freeman: She was health secretary from the outset of the health emergency until the 2021 election. She died in February, aged 72

Jason Leitch: The National Clinical Adviser was a regular face on TV during the daily briefings. He has left the government and now works for a private healthcare firm

Kate Forbes: Although she was finance secretary at the outset of the pandemic, she was given little input into decisions made by Sturgeon and her inner circle. She too has retired from frontline politics

>>24782659

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/uk-news/victims-jimmy-savile-air-cadets-37598911

Victims of 'Jimmy Savile of the air cadets' receive £2.5m payout from Ministry of Defence

The pervert air cadet leader from Kilmarnock, aged 81, has been jailed for 22 years for crimes against 17 young boys – but lawyers fear many more victims are out there

Ben Borland

27 Aug 2026

Abuse victims have recovered nearly £2.5million from Ministry of Defence bosses after they were attacked as boys by the 'Jimmy Savile of the cadet force'.

Survivors took legal action against the MoD after being attacked by Ronald Hardman at 327 Air Training Corp in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire.

The former warrant officer, now aged 81, has received three different jail terms totalling 22 years for crimes against 17 young boys. Victims are now receiving military compensation payments with individual settlements ranging from £150,000 to £750,000.

But lawyers, who have fought for justice for three years, fear dozens more people are likely to be affected and have encouraged people to report their experience to the police.

Richard Pitts, Partner at Digby Brown Solicitors and specialist in military claims, said: "The scale of Hardman's abuse is unlike anything we’ve seen before – he is undoubtedly the Savile of the cadet force. Ever since his crimes first came to light eight years ago there's just been a continuous prosecution and charge sheet against him – and rightly so.

"The evidence paints a clear and consistent picture of what happened in 327 – which is Hardman weaponised his trusted position to target, groom and attack."

Hardman's crimes first came to light in 2018 when he was jailed for five years after being found guilty of abusing three cadets between 1981-95. This sparked a massive police investigation where, after reportedly speaking with 300 former cadets, a catalogue of fresh allegations emerged.

The following year, Hardman was then given a nine-year jail sentence after admitting to 15 further charges against 12 boys which related to lewd and libidinous behaviour and indecent assault. Then in 2025 Hardman was convicted for a third time at the High Court in Glasgow of molesting two other boys – this time being jailed for eight years.

Mr Pitts added: "The passage of time should never prevent abusers from being brought to justice but the reality is that Hardman is now in his 80s so I’d encourage those who are yet to step forward to do so now while he can still be questioned and civil actions can be pursued.

"So far, we have recovered just short of £2.5m for seven victims and these settlements go towards helping support them in an adult life which Hardman's crimes stole from them. That's why it is right for the MoD to compensate victims – the abuse was carried out by their man, on their watch, and we will continue to support all people affected by these disgusting crimes."

Police were first alerted to Hardman's behaviour in about 2004. He abused his position to "groom and control" the young cadet and would also try to buy their silence by giving them money, sweets or takeaway meals.

In the 2019 case, the court heard that he molested one boy during a uniform fitting and in another case attacked a teenager with the help of two other cadets. In some instances, the abuse involved him showing the boys pornographic magazines and getting them to play strip poker or swim naked.

The attacks occurred at different locations, including the 327 squadron hall in Kilmarnock, a campsite and at Drumness Forest in Dumfries and Galloway.

In delivering his sentence, Lord Beckett described the crimes as "pre-meditated" and "grossly corrupting". The judge added: "It is apparent that you deceived, manipulated, groomed and coerced the boys."

>>24782670

>>24782672

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/stink-snp-cronyism-peter-murrells-37606127

'Stink of SNP cronyism' as Peter Murrell's former digital guru wins £10k government contract

A company owned by a tech entrepreneur who helped the Nats win the 2011 election the beneficiary of ANOTHER £10k contract awarded without competition

Ben Borland

29 Aug 2026

There are growing calls for an investigation into whether senior civil servants are regularly breaching procurement rules after another fishy SNP government contract was uncovered.

A company owned by a digital guru who helped the Nats win the 2011 election was awarded a £10,000 taxpayer-funded contract in February to help senior civil servants "enable new thinking".

Stephen Noon, who was also part of the team, is now a special adviser to First Minister John Swinney. Alongside Kirk Torrance, McIntosh and Noon helped mobilise support for the SNP on social media.

At the time, targeting voters on the likes of Twitter and Facebook was considered a revolutionary idea – and the same tactics were later employed to drive up votes for separation ahead of the 2014 referendum.

There is no suggestion McIntosh acted improperly over the contract award, which was made just weeks before another £10k contract was awarded without competition for a 'team-building workshop' at Silver Sands beach in Aberdour, Fife.

The seaside awayday for Joe Griffin, head of the Scottish civil service, and seven other 'Sir Humphreys' has sparked anger among junior colleagues who are being asked to make painful spending cuts.

The Scottish Conservatives have renewed their call for Audit Scotland, the public spending watchdog, to investigate whether senior civil servants are regularly breaching procurement rules.

Craig Hoy, the party's finance spokesman, told The Times: "This stinks of SNP cronyism. Yet again, taxpayers' money has been handed out without proper competition to someone with close links to the SNP. This growing pattern of contracts, SNP connections and unanswered questions demands scrutiny from Audit Scotland."

McIntosh, 48, is a former teacher who set up NoTosh in 2009 as an education consultancy working with schools. He owns the company with his wife, Morgane, 46.

Alongside Torrance – a Scot who had worked in Silicon Valley – he used a new software programme called NationBuilder to integrate Twitter and Facebook into the snp.org party platform, borrowing a social media-led campaign strategy first used by Barack Obama in 2008.

According to reports at the time, it allowed the "SNP's small but fanatically dedicated web team to identify, instantaneously, every social media user who typed the letters SNP into Twitter, or discussed a candidate or an issue relevant to the election campaign".

>>24990184

………………………………………………………….continued………………………………………………………….

From being 15 points down on Scottish Labour in February, Salmond surged ahead to win Holyrood's only ever majority. The result was breathlessly compared to the "Arab Spring" with Murrell – now serving five years for embezzling £400k from the party – widely quoted as declaring: "Look, the sun has come out."

Speaking in 2012 about his work with the Nats, McIntosh said: "I was apolitical, but the more I got to understand SNP policies, I thought they were head and shoulders above everyone else … [Now] I'm a card-carrying member."

According to reports, he and Torrance had daily meetings with Murrell as well as SNP spin doctors Kevin Pringle and Liz Lloyd to "thrash out new ideas".

'Scant regard for taxpayers' money'

In February, NoTosh was handed £9,900 (£11,880 including VAT) to act as "technical adviser on government performance and delivery". Contract documents state that NoTosh's task was "to complement existing roles and functions while enabling new thinking, including the development of a strong delivery narrative and on the 'outcomes, delivery, performance' cycle".

Contracts under £50,000 CAN be awarded without an open call for tenders. However, government procurement rules state that "goods, services, and works must be bought by genuine and effective competition unless there are exceptional reasons".

This means that civil servants should still seek out a range of quotes before deciding who to hire, even for smaller contracts. A non-competitive action (NCA), where only one supplier is considered, is permitted only where there is "extreme urgency" or only one contractor available.

Scottish Labour's interim leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: "At the heart of this is taxpayers' money, which far too often, the SNP have shown themselves to have scant regard for.

"Officials must provide assurances that where contracts are awarded, there is a fair, open and transparent tendering process. But the real question here is how on earth the Scottish government can spend £10,000 on an awayday in Fife when they have so many empty offices to choose from."

McInosh told The Times: "The contract was for a short, defined piece of advisory work on government performance and delivery. It involved providing specialist advice on the development of a more outcome-focused approach, including how priorities, evidence, measurement and delivery assurance could be brought together more effectively. The work began in April and concluded end [of] June."

A Scottish Government spokesperson confirmed the contract was awarded following "non-competitive action procedures", adding: "NoTosh was appointed as the company was deemed to be the only provider with a suitable track record of providing a specialist external perspective, high-quality analysis and advice to Scottish government and other public agencies, along with the capacity to deliver within a tight timeframe."

There is no suggestion the NoTosh contract award is connected to the awayday commissioned by Griffin for himself and senior colleagues. Equally, there is no suggestion that Noon as a special adviser to the First Minister had any input into the contract decision.

>>24782659

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62452gxv89o

Military pays out £2.5m to abuse victims of former air cadet leader

27 August 2026

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has paid £2.5m in compensation to former air cadets who were sexually abused by their group leader, according to a legal firm.

Ronald Hardman, 81, an ex-officer with 327 Kilmarnock Squadron Air Training Corps in Ayrshire, is behind bars for attacks on young boys from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Digby Brown Solicitors said it had recovered the money for seven of Hardman's victims after he used his position to "target, groom and attack".

In 2018 he was sentenced to five years for abusing three boys, nine years in 2019 for attacks on 12 others, then eight years in 2025 for abusing two more boys.

The MoD said Hardman's offences were "heinous and deeply shocking".

Digby Brown partner Richard Pitts, a specialist in military claims, said: "The scale of Hardman's abuse is unlike anything we've seen before.

"Ever since his crimes first came to light eight years ago there's just been a continuous prosecution and charge sheet against him – and rightly so.

"The evidence paints a clear and consistent picture of what happened in 327 – which is Hardman weaponised his trusted position to target, groom and attack."

In 2018 Hardman was found guilty at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court after denying charges of indecent assault and lewd and libidinous behaviour.

The court heard that the volunteer warrant officer had identified potential victims when they were being fitted for their air cadet uniforms.

He plied the youngsters, who were aged between 13 and 17, with alcohol and showed them pornographic magazines

One former cadet said he was 14 when Hardman made him sit on his lap to drive his car and groped him while he tried to reach the pedals.

In 2019, Hardman was given nine more years in jail after admitting 15 further charges at the High Court in Glasgow.

Attacks took place at several locations, including the squadron hall, a campsite, and at Drumness Forest in Dumfries and Galloway.

'Grossly corrupting'

Lord Beckett described his crimes as pre-meditated and "grossly corrupting".

The court was told that one boy - aged 13 when he joined the ATC - was abused between 15 to 20 times.

Hardman would try to buy his victims' silence by giving them money, sweets, or takeaway meals.

In May 2025 he was jailed for a further eight years for the abuse of two boys at the Kilmarnock squadron and at his home in the Ayrshire town.

Digby Brown said Hardman's victims had received MoD compensation with individual settlements ranging from £150,000 to £750,000.

Pitts added: "The passage of time should never prevent abusers from being brought to justice, but the reality is that Hardman is now in his 80s.

"So I'd encourage those who are yet to step forward to do so now while he can still be questioned and civil actions can be pursued."

An MoD spokesperson said: "Ronald Hardman's crimes were heinous and deeply shocking. Our thoughts remain with the victims of his abuse.

"We have robust safeguarding procedures in place to protect young people, including mandatory security and background checks for all adults working with children, strict disclosure requirements, and regular safeguarding training."

>>24993701

>>24782663

>>24782667

>>24782670

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-government-hauled-back-supreme-37600312

SNP Government hauled back to Supreme Court in bid to lift 'cloak of secrecy' over Salmond inquiry

It marks the first time that any UK government has been hauled before Britain's highest court to account for its failure to release documents when ordered to do so

Ben Borland

27 Aug 2026

Scotland's Freedom of Information Commissioner is appealing to the Supreme Court in a bid to secure the disclosure of information by the secretive SNP Government.

The long-running case relates to a request for correspondence relating to the investigation into claims that Nicola Sturgeon broke the ministerial code during the Holyrood inquiry into the handling of sexual misconduct allegations against Alex Salmond.

Irish lawyer James Hamilton eventually concluded that she had not, although his unredacted report and the other evidence he gathered has never been released. A member of the public named Benjamin Harrop asked for information "held" in relation to the affair.

The government then went to court on a technicality to say it didn't "hold" any information. Mr Harrop then asked for "communications/WhatsApps/documents" in relation to this first appeal.

This request was also refused, with this second case being taken up by the FOI Commissioner, David Hamilton. It eventually landed at the Court of Session in March, which found in favour of the Scottish Government.

Explaining his decision to seek a final ruling from the UK's highest court, Mr Hamilton said: "My decision to seek leave to appeal this ruling to the Supreme Court has not been taken lightly. It is my view that this ruling runs contrary to the Parliament's clear intention behind the FOI Act. There are significant implications and risks placed on the public's right to access information because of this ruling – it is therefore clearly in the public interest that I seek to challenge this at the Supreme Court."

At the weekend, the Express exclusively revealed the secretive SNP Government has racked up a bill of more than £100,000 in a bid to keep these documents hidden from the public.

The Commissioner is concerned that the Court of Session ruling substantially limits the scope for the balance of the public interest weighing in favour of disclosure for this exemption. He is also concerned that it could have wider implications for the application of that balancing exercise in relation to other exemptions.

Scottish Labour's acting leader Jackie Baillie said: "Too often the SNP operates under a cloak of secrecy. Freedom of Information laws provide much-needed accountability in that context and the FOI Commissioner has been a powerful champion for transparency in public life.

"This legal challenge could have significant implications for the disclosure of information. However, it should not take lengthy legal disputes to get answers from the SNP government. We need to see an end to the culture of cover-up that the SNP has created and a renewed commitment to openness and integrity in government."

Posting on social media, Mr Harrop said: "We are going to the UK supreme court! As confirmed by the below this is the first time this has happened! I think there were some cases taken by the House of Lords before the SC was set up, but this is certainly going to be very interesting!"

Meanwhile, he added that the original case was also still going through the courts with a further hearing scheduled in Edinburgh on September 22.

Comments on article included

>>24782679

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/uk_courts_and_the_rule_of_law.pdf

Have UK Courts Abdicated their Commitment and Responsibility to the Rule of Law?

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 16 May 2026

Introduction

The constitutional legitimacy of any democratic State ultimately rests not upon Parliament, Government, policing institutions, or prosecutorial authorities, but upon the judiciary’s willingness to uphold the Rule of Law impartially, fearlessly and independently.

Courts exist not merely to administer legal process, but to ensure that power itself remains subject to law.

That principle becomes most important precisely when:

• political pressure intensifies;

• institutional interests converge;

• public fear is elevated;

• or State actors themselves become the subject of scrutiny.

The true constitutional test of a judiciary is therefore not how it behaves in ordinary times, but how it behaves during periods of national pressure, institutional alignment, or perceived emergency.

It is against that constitutional standard that increasingly serious questions are now emerging in the United Kingdom.

The issue is no longer confined to isolated legal controversies, individual disclosure failures, or procedural irregularities. Rather, a broader concern is beginning to crystallise - whether the courts themselves have progressively adopted a posture of excessive institutional deference toward executive, bureaucratic, and operational

State power.

If so, the implications are profound because once courts become reluctant to scrutinise the State meaningfully, constitutional safeguards cease to function as intended.

The Rule of Law then risks becoming procedural in appearance whilst substantively weakened in practice.

The Constitutional Role of the Judiciary

Historically, the British constitutional model has relied heavily upon judicial independence as the ultimate safeguard against arbitrary power.

The courts were expected to:

• compel lawful accountability;

• restrain executive overreach;

• uphold procedural fairness;

• ensure evidential integrity;

• and protect citizens from unlawful State conduct.

Importantly, judicial legitimacy derives not from democratic election, but from public confidence that courts will apply law impartially, irrespective of political consequence.

That confidence depends upon several foundational assumptions:

• that courts remain institutionally independent;

• that judges scrutinise State conduct rigorously;

• that procedural fairness applies equally to citizen and State alike;

• and that no institution becomes effectively insulated from

legal accountability.

Where those assumptions weaken, constitutional trust deteriorates.

Pages 1-5 of 13

>>24997453

>>24782679

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/uk_courts_and_the_rule_of_law.pdf

Have UK Courts Abdicated their Commitment and Responsibility to the Rule of Law?

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 16 May 2026

Introduction

The constitutional legitimacy of any democratic State ultimately rests not upon Parliament, Government, policing institutions, or prosecutorial authorities, but upon the judiciary’s willingness to uphold the Rule of Law impartially, fearlessly and independently.

Courts exist not merely to administer legal process, but to ensure that power itself remains subject to law.

That principle becomes most important precisely when:

• political pressure intensifies;

• institutional interests converge;

• public fear is elevated;

• or State actors themselves become the subject of scrutiny.

The true constitutional test of a judiciary is therefore not how it behaves in ordinary times, but how it behaves during periods of national pressure, institutional alignment, or perceived emergency.

It is against that constitutional standard that increasingly serious questions are now emerging in the United Kingdom.

The issue is no longer confined to isolated legal controversies, individual disclosure failures, or procedural irregularities. Rather, a broader concern is beginning to crystallise - whether the courts themselves have progressively adopted a posture of excessive institutional deference toward executive, bureaucratic, and operational

State power.

If so, the implications are profound because once courts become reluctant to scrutinise the State meaningfully, constitutional safeguards cease to function as intended.

The Rule of Law then risks becoming procedural in appearance whilst substantively weakened in practice.

The Constitutional Role of the Judiciary

Historically, the British constitutional model has relied heavily upon judicial independence as the ultimate safeguard against arbitrary power.

The courts were expected to:

• compel lawful accountability;

• restrain executive overreach;

• uphold procedural fairness;

• ensure evidential integrity;

• and protect citizens from unlawful State conduct.

Importantly, judicial legitimacy derives not from democratic election, but from public confidence that courts will apply law impartially, irrespective of political consequence.

That confidence depends upon several foundational assumptions:

• that courts remain institutionally independent;

• that judges scrutinise State conduct rigorously;

• that procedural fairness applies equally to citizen and State alike;

• and that no institution becomes effectively insulated from

legal accountability.

Where those assumptions weaken, constitutional trust deteriorates.

Pages 6-10 of 13

>>24997453

>>24997679

>>24782679

https://ethicalapproach.co.uk/uk_courts_and_the_rule_of_law.pdf

Have UK Courts Abdicated their Commitment and Responsibility to the Rule of Law?

Author: Ian Clayton

Date: 16 May 2026

Introduction

The constitutional legitimacy of any democratic State ultimately rests not upon Parliament, Government, policing institutions, or prosecutorial authorities, but upon the judiciary’s willingness to uphold the Rule of Law impartially, fearlessly and independently.

Courts exist not merely to administer legal process, but to ensure that power itself remains subject to law.

That principle becomes most important precisely when:

• political pressure intensifies;

• institutional interests converge;

• public fear is elevated;

• or State actors themselves become the subject of scrutiny.

The true constitutional test of a judiciary is therefore not how it behaves in ordinary times, but how it behaves during periods of national pressure, institutional alignment, or perceived emergency.

It is against that constitutional standard that increasingly serious questions are now emerging in the United Kingdom.

The issue is no longer confined to isolated legal controversies, individual disclosure failures, or procedural irregularities. Rather, a broader concern is beginning to crystallise - whether the courts themselves have progressively adopted a posture of excessive institutional deference toward executive, bureaucratic, and operational

State power.

If so, the implications are profound because once courts become reluctant to scrutinise the State meaningfully, constitutional safeguards cease to function as intended.

The Rule of Law then risks becoming procedural in appearance whilst substantively weakened in practice.

The Constitutional Role of the Judiciary

Historically, the British constitutional model has relied heavily upon judicial independence as the ultimate safeguard against arbitrary power.

The courts were expected to:

• compel lawful accountability;

• restrain executive overreach;

• uphold procedural fairness;

• ensure evidential integrity;

• and protect citizens from unlawful State conduct.

Importantly, judicial legitimacy derives not from democratic election, but from public confidence that courts will apply law impartially, irrespective of political consequence.

That confidence depends upon several foundational assumptions:

• that courts remain institutionally independent;

• that judges scrutinise State conduct rigorously;

• that procedural fairness applies equally to citizen and State alike;

• and that no institution becomes effectively insulated from

legal accountability.

Where those assumptions weaken, constitutional trust deteriorates.

Pages 11-13 of 13

>>24782659

>>24782670

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16104805/Freed-child-abuser-jailed-ex-SNP-adviser.html

EXCLUSIVE Freed, child abuser who was jailed along with ex-SNP adviser

GRAHAM GRANT

4 September 2026

One of Britain’s most notorious paedophiles – who was jailed alongside a former SNP government adviser as part of a child abuse network – has been freed from prison.

Neil Strachan, 58, described by a High Court judge as ‘sadistic and aggressive’, was recently let out of jail on licence, months after the release of his accomplice James Rennie, 54.

Rennie, an ex-chief executive of gay and trans rights charity LGBT Youth Scotland, was also an SNP government adviser on child sex issues.

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Stephen Kerr said: ‘This is a truly sickening and the public need absolute assurances he will be monitored relentlessly for the rest of his life.’

Strachan, who tried to rape a toddler, had been held at Castle Huntly open prison near Dundee. The pair, both from Edinburgh, were serving sentences reduced to eight-and-a-half and nine years respectively.

Strachan was originally ordered to serve a minimum of 16 years before becoming eligible to seek release. However, the punishment part of his sentence was cut to nine years by appeal judges in 2011.

He was convicted of attempting to rape an 18-month-old boy and of downloading child abuse images.

Former Scottish Government adviser Rennie was jailed after molesting the toddler son of unsuspecting friends.

The child Strachan tried to rape was not the same one as Rennie’s principal victim.

Both were made subject to Orders for Lifelong Restriction, meaning they could only be released if deemed safe by the Parole Board and would remain on licence for the rest of their lives.

A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: ‘We don’t comment on individual prisoners.’