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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask
@leaskyd.bsky.social
2.2K followers 1.5K following 1.1K posts
Reporter, The Times/Sunday Times, Scotland
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 7h
Far-right ‘knights’ told to drop claims of links to Rosslyn Chapel

www.thetimes.com/article/8bb0...
Far-right ‘knights’ told to drop claims of links to Rosslyn Chapel
The Knights Templar International has been ordered to stop implying any affiliation between the medieval church and the self-styled crusaders
www.thetimes.com
leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 7h
Far-right ‘knights’ told to drop claims of links to Rosslyn Chapel

www.thetimes.com/article/8bb0...
Far-right ‘knights’ told to drop claims of links to Rosslyn Chapel
The Knights Templar International has been ordered to stop implying any affiliation between the medieval church and the self-styled crusaders
www.thetimes.com
leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 1d
The private life of Putin: strippers, lovers and secret sons

www.thetimes.com/article/72bc...
The private life of Putin: strippers, lovers and secret sons
Putin latest news: Inside the private life of the Russian president
www.thetimes.com
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 4d
Former Soviet media executive among Russia’s suspicious suicides

www.thetimes.com/article/b300...
Former Soviet media executive among Russia’s suspicious suicides
The long time head of the Soviet newspaper Pravda has been found dead in Moscow, heightening concerns over a pattern of similar deaths
www.thetimes.com
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 13d
Star law student led anti-Islamic chants at migrant hotel protest

www.thetimes.com/article/dd9d...
Star law student led anti-Islamic chants at migrant hotel protest
Aberdeen University has been urged to revoke Lewis Carty’s dissertation prize after video emerged of him and his brother Chris also making antisemitic slurs
www.thetimes.com
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 14d
This is one of those occasions when it’s worth taking the time to check what the law actually says (cos it’s interesting and pertinent). www.gov.uk/government/p...
Irregular or unlawful entry and arrival (accessible)
www.gov.uk
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 14d
Reform leads Labour as Scotland backs mass deportation of illegal migrants

www.thetimes.com/article/d76f...
Reform leads Labour as Scotland backs mass deportation of illegal migrants
Reform ahead of Labour in Scotland, research for The Sunday Times finds, as voters back calls by Nigel Farage’s party for action to bring down migration
www.thetimes.com
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 14d
Poll predicts clear Reform majority and historic Labour defeat

www.thetimes.com/article/0ae4...
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 14d
Putin’s pals bribed Reform MEP. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reform UK's ex-Wales leader Nathan Gill admits pro-Russia bribery
Nathan Gill admits eight charges of bribery while being a Member of the European Parliament.
www.bbc.com
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 16d
Nicolas Sarkozy to be jailed for five years over Gaddafi money

www.thetimes.com/article/b3a5...
Nicolas Sarkozy to be jailed for five years over Gaddafi money
The former French president criticised the judiciary, which he accused of hatred towards him, after he was found guilty of criminal conspiracy
www.thetimes.com
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 20d
Scotland has ‘nothing to show’ for 20 years talking about independence

www.thetimes.com/article/8fae...
Scotland has ‘nothing to show’ for 20 years talking about independence
The new Scottish secretary Douglas Alexander says the country has gone backwards under the SNP but wants to build a new relationship with Holyrood
www.thetimes.com
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 20d
Revealed: the British ex-soldier accused of killing Agnes Wanjiru

www.thetimes.com/article/39b9...
Revealed: the British ex-soldier accused of killing Agnes Wanjiru
Thirteen years after the young mother’s body was found in a septic tank, Kenya has finally issued an arrest warrant — for ex-combat medic Robert James Purkiss
www.thetimes.com
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 20d
How nationalists are keeping Indy dream alive with cake and tea.

www.thetimes.com/article/4567...
How nationalists are keeping Indy dream alive with cake and tea
A network of IndyHubs has sprung up in cities and towns across Scotland with volunteers taking a softly-softly approach in a bid to win support
www.thetimes.com
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Reposted by David Leask
msashleydavies.bsky.social
Ashley Davies @msashleydavies.bsky.social · 21d
Look at all those treats in today’s Alba (in The Times Scotland).
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 21d
Meet boxing’s 79-year-old TikTok star followed by Usyk and 50 Cent

www.thetimes.com/article/a602...
Meet boxing’s 79-year-old TikTok star followed by Usyk and 50 Cent
Frank Gilfeather has become an online hit via his training videos with more than 1m followers on social media — and has been told he has saved lives
www.thetimes.com
leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 22d
How talking to foreigners can land you in jail in Putin’s Russia

www.thetimes.com/article/a2eb...
How talking to foreigners can land you in jail in Putin’s Russia
At least 100 people have been charged in a Cold War-style crackdown on associating with westerners brought in after the invasion of Ukraine
www.thetimes.com
leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 22d
Boss who leaked medical records of David Goodwillie rape victim avoids jail

www.thetimes.com/article/4c9f...
Boss who leaked medical records of David Goodwillie rape victim avoids jail
Tony McNally, who was the player’s manager at Glasgow United, has been given a community payback order after causing ‘significant distress’ to Denise Clair
www.thetimes.com
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 23d
SNP minister ‘grabbed ex-Tory leader’ in seagulls row

www.thetimes.com/article/370a...
SNP minister ‘grabbed ex-Tory leader’ in seagulls row
Jamie Hepburn is said to have shown ‘violent, threatening and intimidating behaviour’ towards Douglas Ross
www.thetimes.com
leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 23d
You get the idea. Anyway, I’m not sure how we can discourage legal, political and media commentators from making sweeping and inaccurate claims about other countries.
leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 23d
It’s definitely not just in your head. Indeed, a prominent KC is on X making that very point.
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 23d
In California they only have two verdicts but acquitted persons can petition for a declaration of factual innocence. oag.ca.gov/sites/all/fi...
oag.ca.gov
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 23d
Israel is the most fascinating eg: where courts have a whole range of verdicts, including a finding that a crime did not take place.
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 23d
So a number of jurisdictions have what academics call “differentiated acquittals”. This was touched on in some of the academic work that helped inform the current reform process. eprints.gla.ac.uk/250417/1/250...
eprints.gla.ac.uk
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 23d
Equally a lot has been said by both sides of the “not proven” debate about the uniqueness of Scotland’s bastard verdict. Well, no system is exactly the same as any other. But is it true that Scotland is the only country with more than one acquittal verdict? Not really, no.
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leaskyd.bsky.social
David Leask @leaskyd.bsky.social · 23d
We are not talking about knuckleheads here. Some very well respected advocates said some weird, weird stuff. I remember one excellent KC saying even Putin wouldn’t scrap juries (when Russia’s hard man was actively introducing them - perhaps cos he thinks they’re easier to manipulate than judges).
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