Elish Angiolini DBE

On the 16th January, my trial is due to resume in Stonehaven.

I intend to call Elish Angiolini, former Lord Advocate, as a witness for the defence. Angiolini has been a central figure in the Hollie Greig since she decided, in 2000, as Procurator Fiscal , to quash any attempt at an investigation after Hollie had named prominent members of the Aberdeen establishment among her attackers.
Moreover, when later challenged about her involvement in 2009, when she was Lord Advocate, she lied about her connection, which was clearly established by documentary evidence held from the relevant period.

Angiolini`s misconduct did not end there.

Later in 2009, Angiolini, using Peter Watson, of private law firm Levy & McRae in her personal capacity, threatened organs of the media both in Scotland and beyond, if they should mention details of her earlier involvement in the case. When challenged as to how Levy & McRae had been paid for its services, Angiolini refused to respond. Clearly this led to a strong suspicion that Scottish taxpayers` money had been misappropriated for the Lord Advocate`s personal use and potential private financial gain.

This suspicion was compounded when the Freedom of Information Commissioner took up the case in November 2010. Until Angiolini`s departure from office on 5th May 2011, this important issue remained unresolved due to her continual failure to answer,

On the 4th July 2011, the eminent Ian Hamilton QC, as reported in The Drum magazine, objected to Mrs Angiolini being accepted into the Faculty of Advocates, stating "Although holding the public office of Lord Advocate, she persistently refused to answer questions put to her under the Freedom of Information Act."

Such conduct from the head of the justice system is transparently unacceptable and against the public interest. In fact, having successfully exposed Angiolini, it was she who was responsible for my being arrested and charged on 12th February 2010, a blatant case of a conflict of interest, furthermore reasonably indicating a possible motive of personal retribution against me.

It will be most interesting to observe how the former Lord Advocate behaves under cross-examination, where it is hoped that the truth about her conduct will be publicly established.

It should not be overlooked that it is largely due to the failings of Elish Angiolini that has led to the existence of the Hollie Greig campaign. If she had initially carried out her public duties properly, the matter would have been dealt with appropriately and all concerned, whether victims or alleged perpetrators, would have been treated fairly under the protection of the law.