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Woman in court charged with murder after man allegedly stabbed to death in Scots town

Woman in court charged with murder after man allegedly stabbed to death in Scots town

Scottish Sun2 days ago
The woman, 40, made no plea and was committed for further examination. She was remanded in custody
MURDER RAP Woman in court charged with murder after man allegedly stabbed to death in Scots town
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A WOMAN has appeared in the dock charged with the murder of a man in a Scots seaside town.
Jade Bell, 40, appeared in a private hearing at Ayr Sheriff Court today — accused over the death of 42-year-old Mark Blackwood.
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Emergency crews raced to the scene following reports of a disturbance
Credit: Stephen Gibson / Buchanan Photos
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Jade Bell made no plea and was committed for further examination. She was remanded in custody.
Credit: Alamy
Bell, of Troon, made no plea and was committed for further examination. She was remanded in custody.
Cops launched a major investigation after Mr Blackwood was found fatally injured in a flat in Glenmuir Place, Ayr, on the evening of Saturday, July 5.
Emergency crews raced to the scene around 8.10pm following reports of a disturbance — but tragically, Mr Blackwood couldn't be saved and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives locked down the residential area as forensic teams combed the property for clues.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'The 40-year-old woman arrested in connection with the death of Mark Blackwood in Ayr has been charged.
'Around 8.10pm on Saturday, 5 July, we were called to a report of a man found seriously injured in a flat in Glenmuir Place.
'Mark was pronounced dead at the scene. Enquiries are ongoing.'
Officers are still urging anyone with information to come forward as the probe continues.
It comes following another tragedy in Ayrshire, when a 14-year-old boy died after being struck by a car.
The youngster, named as Aiden McLuckie was knocked down by a Vauxhall Corsa as he walked on the A76 near Hurlford yesterday.
Man who stabbed woman to death as she slept confesses to her murder
Mercy crews rushed to the spot of the collision but the schoolboy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Emergency services raced to the collision but, despite efforts to save him, the teenager was pronounced dead at the scene.
The male driver of the Corsa and his two passengers were checked over by paramedics, but didn't need to go to hospital.
The road was closed for several hours to allow collision investigations to take place.
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Inside Putin's ‘Unit 31831' where troops are electrocuted like dogs – and face suicide missions if they don't pay bribes
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timean hour ago

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Inside Putin's ‘Unit 31831' where troops are electrocuted like dogs – and face suicide missions if they don't pay bribes

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'Rapists are walking free': SNP told to investigate rape myths infiltrating jury deliberations
'Rapists are walking free': SNP told to investigate rape myths infiltrating jury deliberations

Scotsman

timean hour ago

  • Scotsman

'Rapists are walking free': SNP told to investigate rape myths infiltrating jury deliberations

Sign up to the daily Crime UK newsletter. All the latest crime news and trials from across the UK. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... SNP ministers have been told to investigate a 'significant issue with jurors making false assumptions' in sex offence trials after Scottish Government-commissioned research found almost half of Scots adults believe in at least one rape myth. Rape Crisis Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to stamp out rape myths influencing the outcome of rape trials after international evidence revealed a link. 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Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ultimately, there are concerns such myths influencing jurors is contributing to Scotland's low conviction rate for rape, which for single complainer cases is only 24 per cent. That low conviction rate comes as reported rapes and attempted rapes soared by 60 per cent in the space of a decade. Contempt of Court amendment Currently, research into rape myths can only be carried out in Scotland through mock trials due to Contempt of Court legislation. But an amendment to the Scottish Government's Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform Bill would allow robust research to take place. Rape Crisis Scotland wants a commitment from SNP ministers to immediately commission an investigation into how deep the issue in Scotland is as soon as the Bill becomes law. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Campaigners vowing to improve outcomes for survivors were dealt a blow after the Scottish Government buckled under pressure from the legal professional and cancelled a proposed pilot of judge-led rape trials, a method used in other countries. SNP ministers have also controversially shelved plans for a standalone offence of misogyny, seen as crucial in tackling the root causes of sexual violence and a widespread concern, including from politicians, that misogynist behaviour is on the rise. Speaking to Scotland on Sunday, Rape Crisis Scotland chief executive Sandy Brindley warned that 'there's a significant issue with jurors making false assumptions in rape trials rather than basing their decision-making on the evidence' and raised the alarm over 'juries bringing assumptions and at times, outright prejudice'. Sandy Brindley, CEO of Rape Crisis Scotland | PA Ms Brindley warned that 'there's really grave concerns that this could be happening routinely in our courts across Scotland'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She pointed to a host of rape myths being spread and believed, including 'assumptions that somebody will be really distressed, they will report straight away or that there will be significant physical violence'. 'I think this evidence strongly suggests that this is a contributing factor in why the conviction rate is so low - it's the lowest of any crime type in Scotland', Ms Brindley added. 'Rapists walking free' She said: 'In single complainer cases, where it's one victim and one accused, the conviction rate is only 24 per cent which I think is quite frightening and definitely suggests that a significant number of rapists are walking free. 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Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said: 'I've heard from some jurors who have said they were really impressed by the carefulness and the level of deliberations. But I think for rape survivors, it's the postcode lottery, if you like - you can have a rape trial on one day in one city that comes to one verdict then the next day the jury could have come to a different verdict. 'That's just unacceptable when we're talking about crimes as serious as rape.' Women 'need confidence in justice system' She stressed that for rape survivors to get an acquittal was 'absolutely devastating', but warned 'these are dangerous, predatory men that are often walking free to rape again'. Ms Brindley added: 'So this is an urgent problem for us as a society. I think women need to have confidence in the justice system and confidence that decisions in their case will be made based on the evidence, not based on false assumptions about rape. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'More generally, what is being played out is attitudes about women's behaviour and women's sexuality. 'The research will enable us to get a real sense of what is happening in these cases so that we can properly address the impact of rape myths and ensure women actually have a chance of justice when they do take the really big step of reporting what's happened to them.' The High Court in Edinburgh | PA Courts in Scotland hand out instructions to jurors ahead of sitting on a rape or sex case that 'they must make sure that they do not let any false assumptions or stereotypes about rape and sexual offending affect their verdict'. Jurors given directions on rape myths A list of false rape myths are also set out to jurors including that 'there can be good reasons why unwanted sexual activity can take place without someone using physical force to overcome the will of the complainer or without physical resistance from the complainer'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Other context given to jurors includes that 'there is no standard way in which people should react' to being sexually assaulted and that 'it is very common for a person who has been sexually assaulted or abused not to tell anyone about it for a long time'. Tony Lenehan KC, the vice dean of the Faculty of Advocates, has stressed that rape myths are explained to jurors prior to deliberating rape or sexual cases. He said: 'There's a standardised handout which is given to jurors before trials start which is then read to them as well. ​Tony Lenehan KC is vice-dean of the Faculty of Advocates, and president of the Faculty of Advocates Criminal Bar Association 'Jurors are told a variety of things about rape myths, about the pathway towards disclosure, about how they shouldn't assume anything from the fact it sometimes takes people years to come forward. It explains why that is. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It also explains what lawyers know as 'battered wife syndrome' - the fact you can't just say 'well, she wouldn't have stayed if it was as bad as they say it is'.' He added: 'We understand things a lot better than we did 20 or 40 years ago, so the Scottish courts have provided this guidance that should be followed in every case which touches on sexual offending. 'It touches on the outdated concept that unwanted sex has to be accompanied by violence and that sort of thing. That really has to be struck from the jurors' mind because that's not what the courts have learned about it.' Rape Crisis Scotland and other campaigners have been left disappointed by the Scottish Government dropping the pilot for juryless rape trials. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad READ MORE: British Army captain who raped Edinburgh woman after meeting her on dating app has sentence increased Ms Brindley said: 'Given we are not going ahead with the judge-led pilot, we absolutely must do something to address this issue of looking at the role of jury attitudes in the decision-making of these cases. 'It's absolutely right that our accused must have a right to a fair trial but there is nothing in a judge-led trial that is inconsistent with an accused's right to a fair trial. We do it all the time in summary cases. Many jurisdictions use judge-led trials for serious cases such as rape. Concern after misogyny law dropped 'I think it was a real pity that the discussion around it became so polarised. What I think would have been much more helpful was a discussion on the substantive issue which is clearly a problem here, what is the best way of addressing it. We can't just pretend it's not an issue.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad First Minister John Swinney caused widespread anger after he confirmed his government will no longer have time to bring forward its delayed plans to legislate against misogyny before the 2026 Holyrood election. No firm commitment has been made by the SNP that plans will re-emerge if the party forms the next government. First Minister John Swinney (Picture: Jane Barlow - Pool/Getty Images) Instead, a misogyny aggravator will be added to the Hate Crime Act - despite a review by Baroness Helena Kennedy recommending a separate law should be drawn up to tackle "the spectrum of misogynistic conduct", rather than including it in the hate crime law. Ms Brindley said the U-turn on the misogyny bill was 'really devastating'. She said: 'Like the judge-led pilot, this could have been a really groundbreaking development for us in Scotland for really trying to get to the causes of misogyny and also trying to address the reasons why women and girls feel so unsafe in so many situations - particularly on public transport or on the street. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We could not need it more at this time when we are seeing so much misogyny, particularly amongst young men. We are also seeing record rises in reported rapes. I do think this is absolutely linked to increased misogyny and increased access to violent misogyny.' In May, it was revealed that the number of new rape cases being reported to police across Scotland surged by more than a third since 2020/21 while data published in June found that the number of sex crimes recorded in Scotland is at its second highest level since 1971. Mr Swinney has claimed that 'the increase in the reporting of sexual crime is due to the fact that more people are prepared to come forward'. But Ms Brindley is not convinced. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She said: 'We are seeing a very significant increase which is really alarming.'I think we are burying our heads in the sand if we put that entirely down to increased confidence. I think it's very, very likely that at least some of that increase is due to more rapes taking place. Reports have been increasing significantly for the past two decades. 'I think there's only so many years we can keep patting ourselves on the back and say it's because people have more confidence. Some of it might be, but I think it is very likely that a significant part of that increase is more rapes taking place. 'I would like politicians to recognise that this is an urgent and pressing issue that needs action.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'There is substantial evidence that jurors, and their decision-making, are influenced by rape myths, which is why amendments were made at Stage 2 of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform Bill to allow for more detailed research into jury deliberations. If the Bill is passed, this will become law. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad

Top UK attraction shuts down in search for missing woman, 38, last seen inside petrol station as CCTV released
Top UK attraction shuts down in search for missing woman, 38, last seen inside petrol station as CCTV released

Scottish Sun

time2 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

Top UK attraction shuts down in search for missing woman, 38, last seen inside petrol station as CCTV released

Rachel is described as 5ft 9in tall, of a slim build, and with blonde hair DESPERATE HUNT Top UK attraction shuts down in search for missing woman, 38, last seen inside petrol station as CCTV released Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN URGENT search has been launched to find a missing woman as cops close off a popular holiday park. Rachel Booth, 38, was last seen at Sandiway Garage in the Northwich area of Cheshire, at 3.50am on Saturday, July 19. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 CCTV captured her at a petrol station at around 3.50am on Saturday Credit: Cheshire Police 2 Cops have shut off a popular holiday park as part of their investigation Credit: Cheshire Police CCTV shows her in the petrol station, on the A556, at around 3.50am. She is described as 5ft 9in tall, of a slim build, and with blonde hair. It is believed Rachel was wearing black leggings and a black top at the time she disappeared. Cops are currently searching a popular Cheshire beauty spot and a local holiday attraction has been shut. Wild Shore Delamere, a water-based adventure hub, said: "Due to ongoing police investigations in the surrounding area, Wildshore Delamere will remain closed tomorrow, Sunday, July 20th. "We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. "The incident is unrelated to Wild Shore - however, we wish to help as much as possible - so we will be closing the site until further notice. "If your booking is affected by this closure, please contact our customer services team. We'll be happy to arrange a refund or reschedule your session for a later date. Thank you for your understanding." Cheshire Police have urged anyone who has seen Rachel, or knows where she is, to police on 101, quoting incident number 2136439. Inspector James Wilson added: "We are currently conducting a number of enquiries to trace Rachel and we are becoming increasingly concerned for her welfare. 'Anyone who has seen Rachel since she was reported missing is asked to contact us. The same goes for anyone who has any information on her whereabouts. 'We would also like to appeal directly to Rachel to get in touch to let us know you are OK. 'You can report information to Cheshire Police via 101 or through quoting IML-2136439.' More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.

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