Weekly roundup of Scots Law in the headlines including Scottish covid response — Monday November 24

This week's review of all the latest headlines from the world of Scots Law and beyond including including the UK Covid-19 Inquiry's findings about the Scottish Government's handling of the pandemic response.

Covid inquiry issues damning report on governments' response

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett has published a report into how the governments of the UK and the devolved nations handled the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

The report praised former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as a 'serious and diligent leader', but condemned her distancing of advisors and ministers.

• Sturgeon excluded ministers from Covid decisions, inquiry says (BBC)
• ‘Too little, too late’: damning report condemns UK’s Covid response (Guardian)
• Nicola Sturgeon 'sidelined' key advisers as SNP Government's Covid-19 planning failure branded 'inexplicable' (The Scotsman)
• Lockdowns could have been avoided, COVID inquiry report finds as it condemns 'too little, too late' response and claims 23,000 lives could have been saved (Daily Mail)
  

Lord Advocate's strong response to Supreme Court's rape case decision

Protections for alleged victims giving evidence in criminal sex cases have not been altered by a recent Supreme Court ruling according to Scotland's senior law officer, Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain.

• Rape victims in Scotland will be protected when giving evidence, says lord advocate (Guardian)
• Sex case ruling will not harm victims' rights - lord advocate (BBC)
• Lord Advocate issues message to reassure victims of sexual abuse following Supreme Court ruling (Holyrood Magazine)
• Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC’s message to victims of sexual abuse (COPFS)

And in other news

Legal headlines from across the UK and beyond:

• Mahmood and Lammy breached human rights law over segregation of prisoner, judge finds (Guardian)
• [£] Scotland’s abortion law “not fit for purpose,” expert report finds, amid single sex termination outcry (BMJ)
• [£] Milan’s real estate corruption probe in doubt (Financial Times)
• Sighing magistrate given formal advice for misconduct (The Gazette)
• Why does MoJ want to curtail jury trials in England and Wales? (Guardian)
• [£] Inheritance act branded out of touch with societal norms (The Times)
• List of Scottish firms named and shamed on 'tax dodger' league table in £70 million HMRC crackdown (Daily Express)
• [£] How South Africa’s underworld infiltrated its government (Financial Times)
• Slipknot Sue to Reclaim Slipknot.com Domain From Anonymous Squatter Selling Bootleg Merch (Rolling Stone)