Weekly roundup of Scots law in the headlines including 'Jekyll and Hyde' killer case — Monday March 2

This week's review of all the latest headlines from the world of Scots law and beyond includes a 'Jekyll and Hyde' killer case and the ongoing toils of Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC.

'Jekyll and Hyde' killer guilty of shooting ex-colleague on remote country path

A former gamekeeper has been found guilty of murdering an ex-colleague by shooting him on a remote country path in Highland Perthshire before trying to cover his tracks, reports the BBC.

David Campbell, 77, killed Brian Low on Leafy Lane, Aberfeldy, in February 2024 after disabling a CCTV camera at his nearby home.

Police treated Low's death as "non-suspicious" until a forensic examination days later revealed the 65-year-old retired groundsman had been shot.

Campbell, who was described by people who knew him as a Jekyll and Hyde character, was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 19 years in prison before he is eligible for release.

• 'Jekyll and Hyde' killer guilty of shooting ex-colleague on remote country path (BBC)
• Former police inspector feared he was killer gamekeeper's next victim (STV)
• Revenge on the village path: The gamekeeper murderer who settled a score (Sky News)
• Ex-gamekeeper David Campbell guilty of murdering Brian Low in Aberfeldy (Courier)
• [£] David Campbell guilty of shotgun murder of ex-colleague Brian Low (Times)
• Ex-gamekeeper found guilty of blasting colleague with shotgun on remote Highland path (Daily Record)
• David Campbell found guilty of murdering Brian Low in Aberfeldy (Police Scotland)

Role of Scotland’s top law officer questioned after ‘bombshell’ over Peter Murrell charges

Lord advocate Dorothy Bain informed first minister of embezzlement charges against former SNP chief executive a year before they were made public, writes The Guardian.

• Role of Scotland’s top law officer questioned after ‘bombshell’ over Peter Murrell charges (Guardian)
• Lord Advocate 'forgot 2025 Peter Murrell memo to First Minister' (The National)
• Lord Advocate 'to fully set out' communications amid Murrell case row (Scotsman)
• [£] Opinion: Public trust is the victim when the lord advocate mixes in politics (Times)
• [£] Lord Advocate 'not aware' Swinney had Peter Murrell memo last year (Herald)
• Lord Advocate claimed she 'wasn't aware' of fact she tipped off John Swinney LAST Year about Peter Murrell case (Scottish Daily Express)
• Kemi Badenoch vows to split the dual role of Scotland's top law officer amid furious row over SNP embezzlement case (Daily Mail)

And in other news

Legal headlines from across the UK and beyond:

• Are MSPs undermining the rule of law in Scotland? (BBC)
• Appeal refused against dismissal of defences in action for payment under share purchase agreement (Scottish Legal News)
• Police body-worn cameras roll-out expands across Scotland (STV)
• Jersey approves bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults (Guardian)
• [£] Going to court is retraumatising, say women’s rights campaigners (Times)
• Scottish Government to Order Public Inquiry into Rape Gangs Scandal (Guido Fawkes)
• [£] Court backlogs will not fall to pre-Covid levels for a decade despite axing juries (Financial Times)
• Six proposals for improving public procurement (The Law and Policy Blog)
• Pinsent Masons forges partnership with AI platform Legora (Scottish Legal News)
• Land and Expand – how Palantir captured the Ministry of Defence (The Law and Policy Blog)
• [£] Judge-only trials set to begin in 2028 (Times)
• [£] UK government to review whether axing juries increases racial bias (Financial Times)
• [£] Peter Mandelson’s lawyers deny he was planning to flee abroad (Financial Times)
• Devon defence lawyer who abused vulnerable clients jailed for 13 years (Guardian)
• 'Counterintuitive and at odds with our strong belief': Reddit's defiant response to massive online safety (Sky News)
• ‘Moving from a Magic Circle law firm to a US law firm: what should I expect?’ (Legal Cheek)