Every day on Criminal Record we will be bringing you a round-up of the biggest crime stories of the day.
Whether it’s the an update on the death of tragic schoolgirl Minnie Merriman or the latest in the Athens suitcase murder of Elisabeth-Jane Ross – this is the place where you’ll get the low-down.
If you love to read about crime – this is the place to be every day.
Here’s what has been making the news across the country on Sunday.
Family of tragic Minnie Merriman ‘left with nothing’ as they try to ‘rebuild’
The family of tragic Minnie Merriman have been “left with nothing” in the wake of her death, a close friend has told.
The nine-year-old, from West Yorkshire, died at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee after she was found seriously injured at Elliot Industrial Estate in Arbroath in the early hours of Monday August 3. The youngster and her family were camping in the area at the time – with three other members of Minnie’s family also being taken to hospital.
Minnie’s father, Christopher Rice, 35, appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court on Wednesday, where he faced a single charge of murder. He has been remanded in custody.
A fundraiser has now been launched to help the family “rebuild” after their “unimaginable heartbreak”.
READ FULL STORY: Family of tragic Minnie Merriman ‘left with nothing’ as they try to ‘rebuild’
Fake doc accused of conning patients out of thousands of pounds at bogus clinics
A man has been accused of posing as a doctor, conning dozens of patients out of thousands of pounds at bogus clinics.
Robert Becker, 34, is alleged to have duped almost 40 victims including children out of more than £40,000 from consultations while also handing out medication which potentially risked lives.
He is said to have pretended to be a doctor, psychologist and pharmacologist at fake surgeries in Edinburgh and Dalkeith, Midlothian.
Becker now faces 89 charges on a 22-page charge sheet spanning from September 2022 to August 2025.
The case was called for the first time at the High Court in Glasgow last week.
READ FULL STORY: Fake doc accused of conning patients out of thousands of pounds at bogus clinics
Inside Scots gangsters’ fortified drug den “the shop” after cops bust gang
Inside Scots gangsters’ fortified drug den “the shop” after cops bust gang
A drug dealing mob from Greenock were one of the first Scottish organised crime gangs snared after police cracked the encrypted platform Encrochat.
Five members of the crime gang sold cocaine, heroin and valium pills out of a block of flats known as “the shop” in the Inverclyde town.
Their criminal enterprise was suddenly brought to a halt when cops kicked in the heavily-barricaded door in 2020.
It came after French authorities infiltrated the Encrochat messaging service, favoured by criminals and gangsters. Police Scotland were tipped off to a series of messages on the platform, showing the drugs major drugs operation.
Lee Docherty, 37, Ian Millar, 39, Brendan Gillan, 32, his father Daniel Gillan, 60, and Christopher McKellar, 44, were all arrested.
READ FULL STORY: Inside Scots gangsters’ fortified drug den “the shop” after cops bust gang
Tests into how Scot died amid Athens suitcase murder probe face month-long delay
The test results to establish how a Scottish aid worker died, after her body was found in a suitcase in Greece, could be delayed for another month.
Elisabeth-Jane Ross, 38, known as Lisa, was found dead by a homeless man in a derelict building in the Kypseli area of Athens on Saturday, July 18, after travelling there from Edinburgh on June 26. Sharif Ahmadzai, 26, has since appeared in court in the Greek capital on suspicion of killing the aid worker, along with weapons offences and robbery charges.
Local police said they were fast-tracking tests as a priority. However, spokesperson Konstantina Dimoglidou has said that the results could take “at least another month”, according to the BBC.
The coroner’s report initially cited an undetermined cause of death, as the body showed no signs of external trauma. Then “asphyxiation was listed as the probable cause of death” following a more detailed investigation, autopsy and post-mortem examination.
READ FULL STORY: Tests into how Scot died amid Athens suitcase murder probe face month-long delay
Why fears of whitewash could see Emma Caldwell public inquiry ‘expanded’
The Emma Caldwell public inquiry could be expanded amid fears an official cover-up which allowed her killer to walk free for over a decade will not be scrutinised.
Active discussions over the terms of reference of the probe are under way, the Sunday Mail has learned, after concerns were raised by several parties including the victim’s family.
Iain Packer was convicted of murder in 2024 – 19 years after Emma’s body was discovered in Limefield Woods, Lanarkshire, in May 2005.
Even after the Sunday Mail published his picture on the front page in 2015 – branding him the “Forgotten Suspect” – Police Scotland launched illegal surveillance operation on our sources rather than pursue the killer.
A huge body of evidence points to a cover-up at the highest level after a botched prosecution of four innocent Turkish men collapsed in 2008.
READ FULL STORY: Why fears of whitewash could see Emma Caldwell public inquiry ‘expanded’
Two pensioners and teen arrested after £50,000 cocaine raid bust in Perth
Two pensioners and a teenager have been arrested following a £50,000 drugs bust in Perth.
A drugs raid was carried out on a property in Strathtay Road in the city around 9.40am on Friday, August 7. Officers executed a search warrant and recovered cocaine estimated to be worth around £50,700.
Two men, aged 71 and 19, and a woman, aged 69, were arrested and charged in connection. All have been reported to the Procurator Fiscal and are expected to appear at Perth Sheriff Court on Monday, August 10.
Detective Sergeant David Feeney said: “Drugs cause misery in our communities and this recovery highlights our commitment to removing them from our streets.
“Information from the public is vital in helping target those involved in the supply of drugs.
READ FULL STORY: Two pensioners and teen arrested after £50,000 cocaine raid bust in Perth
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