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A leading defence lawyer has warned the scrapping of Scotland’s “ not proven” verdict may lead to fewer convictions rather than more. ‌

Paul Sweeney, a Partner at Glasgow based firm Moir and Sweeney Litigation, has criticised the removal of the centuries-old verdict following a historic vote by MSPs last week. ‌

In Scots law criminal cases, not proven resulted in an accused person being acquitted and was thought to be a key factor in country’s low conviction rate for rape and sexual assault. ‌

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However the reforms which are part of the Victims and Witnesses Reform (Scotland) Act also now require a two-thirds majority for conviction, requiring 10 out of 15 jury members to convict.

Sweeney said the abolishment of not proven may see less

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