Latest news with #Paisley
Scottish Sun
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Freeing criminals early from Scots prisons will ‘erode trust' in justice, charity warns
SNP ministers sneaked through the move unannounced before parly broke up for the summer, with the new home detention curfew rules kicking in from October 'SHAMEFUL' Freeing criminals early from Scots prisons will 'erode trust' in justice, charity warns FREEING criminals from jail after just 15 per cent of their sentence will 'erode trust' in justice, a charity has warned. Victim Support Scotland has hit out at a new law allowing cons to be freed from prison after just 15 per cent of their sentence would 'erode trust' in the justice system. Advertisement 2 Victim Support Scotland has raised concerns over the impact on trust in the justice system due to releasing prisoners early Credit: Getty 2 Scottish Tory MSP Liam Kerr said inmates will be "rubbing their hands with glee" Credit: Alamy We told earlier how SNP ministers sneaked through the move unannounced before parly broke up for the summer, with the new home detention curfew rules kicking in from October. It means inmates, including violent offenders, could be freed on an electronic tag after 15 per cent of their sentence, down from the current 25 per cent. Victim Support Scotland said the move was 'concerning', especially given 'the current lack of capacity for prisoner rehabilitation' in Scotland's jails. A spokeswoman said: 'The recent Scottish Crime and Justice Survey shows decreasing confidence in the criminal justice system - this has been a repeated trend for the last five years. Advertisement 'Measures like these early release measures contribute to this erosion of trust.' There were almost 6,000 criminals fitted with tags in 2023/24, with an increase of 14 per cent on the previous year. Tragic cases involving criminals on home detention curfew include the 2017 murder of Paisley dad Craig McClelland by killer James Wright, who'd sabotaged his tag and dodged cops for six months. The SNP, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Greens voted for the move this week, but the Scottish Tories opposed it. Advertisement Tory shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr said prisoners across Scotland 'will be rubbing their hands with glee at the SNP's shameful capitulation to criminals'. Victim Support Scotland, headed by chief exec , said its primary concern was 'the safety and wellbeing of people impacted by crime' and said victims must be informed of any early releases so they can 'plan for their safety and even risk meeting perpetrators unexpectedly in their community'. Heartbreaking Old Firm march Grieving parents call for knife crime action in Scotland The spokeswoman added: 'We fear further Emergency Early Release programmes alongside Prisoner Early Release and revised Home Detention Curfew regulations, begging the question of any meaningful prison sentence or rehabilitation for offenders.' A Scottish Government research report this month said offenders released under electronic monitoring - or EM - 'may be less likely to reoffend than those released without monitoring', but admitted: 'Some studies found no difference in offending behaviour between those released with EM and those without.' Advertisement The change comes after separate laws giving short-term prisoners automatic early release after serving 40 per cent of their sentence, rather than 50 per cent, amid efforts to cut prison populations. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said tagging was a 'well-established part of our justice system which provides structured and managed transition for individuals being released back into the community'. She added: "There is no automatic right to home detention curfew. "Decisions on home detention release are made by the Scottish Prison Service following careful consideration of each case.'
New York Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Your immortal soul has an astrological sign — here's how to find it
Your soul has a zodiac signature, folks. The brilliant astrologer, Ethan Paisley, explains in his TikTok videos that your soul sign is not your sun, moon, rising or any other planetary placement. 'It is actually the sign that is associated with the house where you have Pluto.' Advertisement In astrology, Pluto represents our potent power planet, symbolizing primordial urges, transformation through trauma, ID energy and the subconscious mind. Paisley explained that in evolutionary astrology, Pluto represents the soul's journey. Your immortal soul has an astrological sign. M – 'Pluto's house is our general vibration; it's the baseline for everything else. The Pluto House indicates the experiences that shape the soul,' said Paisley. Advertisement To find the house in your chart where Pluto resides, use a birth chart calculator like this one. Look for the Pluto symbol, a circle over a crescent and a cross and then find the pie slice and number in the innermost ring of your chart that corresponds to it. In Paisley's reading, a first house Pluto placement would be a warrior, forged in the fires of adversity, a type Aries soul, while a second house Pluto is an embodied, transformation through the tactile Taurus soul. Look for the Pluto symbol in your birth chart. Назарій – 'If you have a third house Pluto, you are gonna have a Gemini soul. A Gemini soul is somebody who tends to be very mentally active, who tends to be kind of always on the lookout for new ideas, always thinking, always processing and taking in new information,' said Paisley. Advertisement A fourth house Pluto is a karmic, family ties and care as control Cancer soul, fifth house Pluto is a shine on you crazy diamond, devoted to expression, inner child on outer display, here to be seen Leo soul. A sixth-house Pluto is a Virgo soul. 'If you have a sixth house Pluto, you might be a person who is always in service, or somebody who's just really busy or really trying to like finesse and perfect your life, and this can literally drive you crazy. This can make you a bit of a worrywart.' Advertisement A seventh house Pluto is a Libra soul, concerned with learning how to balance autonomy and interdependence, an eighth house Pluto is a Scorpio soul, interested in depths and shadows, intimacy and threshold experiences. A ninth-house Pluto is a thrill-chasing, flower-sniffing Sagittarius soul. 'If you have a ninth house Pluto, then you might be the kind of soul who is a wanderer, a searcher, somebody constantly on the lookout for wisdom and for once-in-a-lifetime experiences that can awaken them.' A tenth-house Pluto is a Capricorn soul, focused on building an empire, learning from elders, mastering a craft and leaving a living legacy. An eleventh house Pluto is an Aquarius soul, here to be shaped through the experience of being both a leader and an outsider, a rebel with a cause and a heart without a home. Rounding out the wheel, a 12th house Pluto is a Pisces soul. 'If you have a 12th house Pluto, you're coming in with a lot of sensitivity to everything and a feeling of scatteredness or lostness or not having a set reality. You read a lot into things and take things personally. There's also an intuition here that says 'I know that we're more than this, I know that the world is a temporary illusion, and like, why am I even here?' Advertisement Now that you know what sign your soul is, you can find out how old it is. Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture, and personal experience. To book a reading, visit her website.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
St Mirren set for Oseni profit
St Mirren have accepted a transfer bid from Plymouth Argyle for striker Owen Oseni that would net the Paisley club a significant profit on the 22-year-old, who cost £120,000 transfer from Gateshead in January but has yet to score. (Sun), externalRead Wednesday's Scottish gossip
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Couple jailed over 'frenzied' knife murder in Paisley tower block
A former couple have been jailed for the "frenzied" knife murder of a man after an argument broke out in a tower Fisher, 26, was found critically injured in a flat in Maxwellton Street, Paisley, on 23 July 2023 and died in hospital four days later. Cameron Woods, 27, and Stacey Balfour, 24, who were together at the time, were found guilty at the High Court in Glasgow last month. Prosecutors said Woods fatally stabbed Mr Fisher while his then partner Balfour was "acting in concert" as she knew there would be violence. Woods was jailed for a minimum 18-and-a-half years and Balfour for 16 trial had earlier been told all three had been in a flat with other people in the Renfrewshire town. During this time a witness said Woods had been spotted with a large kitchen Balfour had shown someone a small lockback blade - attached to a set of keys - which was later used in the fatal court heard it was launched after the atmosphere between the group in the flat became "volatile".Prosecutor Erin Campbell said it was clear "the situation escalated" and eventually led to Mr Fisher being stabbed "in what amounted to a murderous attack".The victim managed to stagger out of the flat with blood on his face and on his t-shirt.A man dialled 999 as Mr Fisher groaned in the background: "I have been stabbed."He was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, where he later died. During the trial, the court heard Mr Fisher had five separate stab wounds and possible defensive Campbell told the jury: "If you are trying to strike someone in the head or chest then there are only two possibilities."Either you are deliberately trying to kill the person."Or you are so angry and wild in the moment, you have total disregard if the person lives or dies."The advocate depute told the court Mr Fisher had been subjected to a "frenzied attack".Woods was later stopped by police at a cycle track and found to be in possession of the murder weapon, with Mr Fisher's blood on initially told police she had last seen the victim when he left the flat with another Findlay KC, defending Woods, said "no one set out looking for trouble". "Something clearly happened which led to a conflict. "There was a reaction to something."Balfour's KC Thomas Ross said she had previously suffered a "traumatic" incident in 2014 and a had been in a "toxic relationship" before the killing.
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Pair jailed for life for young father's murder at flat
A man and woman who killed a young father in a 'murderous attack' in a flat have been jailed for life. Cameron Woods stabbed Robert Fisher, 26, through the heart during the attack in Paisley, Renfrewshire, on July 23, 2023, using a knife brought by Stacey Balfour. Mr Fisher, 26, was so severely injured that he died four days later at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. The pair were found guilty of acting 'in concert' to murder Mr Fisher at the flat in Maxwellton Court following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow in May this year. Lady Hood jailed the pair for life when they returned to the court for sentencing on Tuesday. She ordered Woods, 27, who was on bail at the time of the murder, to spend a minimum of 18 years and six months before he is eligible for parole, while Balfour, 24, must serve a minimum of 16 years. Lady Hood said: 'Robert Fisher died from a stab wound to the heart, one of a number of injuries. The knife was brought by you Stacey Balfour and was wielded by you, Cameron Woods. 'It was the verdict of the jury that you were acting in concert and were both responsible for this murderous attack.' She said that there was 'no doubt that the knife was wielded and the fatal blow struck by Cameron Woods'. Lady Hood said that in their victim impact statement Mr Fisher's family described him as 'caring' and talked of goals he was working towards but will never achieve. She said they also 'explained the impact of Mr Fisher's death on his young daughter' and added that no sentence she imposes will be enough to make up for the family's loss. Lady Hood said that she took Balfour's age into account when deciding her sentence as she was under 25 at the time of the offence, and sentencing guidelines for that age group are different from those for older people. Thomas Ross KC, representing Balfour, said that she had previously been in a 'toxic relationship' and was to some extent 'in a very dark place' at the time of the offence. He urged the judge to consider Balfour's lack of previous convictions, personal circumstances and the sentencing guidelines when deciding on her sentence. Donald Findlay KC, representing Woods, said there was 'no pre-planning' in the murder. He said: 'Nobody set out looking for trouble, it ought to have been a pleasant social occasion but something clearly happened that led to a conflict and as a consequence of whatever that was, what occurred followed.'
