The controversial third verdict will be scrapped if proposed reforms are approved by the Scottish Parliament.
Three verdicts can be handed down in Scottish criminal cases: not guilty, not proven and guiltyscrapping of the controversial not proven verdictIt is one of three verdicts that can be returned in a criminal case in Scotland, alongside guilty and not guilty.There is no specific definition of the not proven verdict, or the difference between it and not guilty.
It is seen by some as offering additional protection to the accused - but critics argue that it is confusing for juries and the public, can stigmatise an accused person by appearing not to clear them, and fails to provide closure for victims.found removing the not proven verdict might incline more jurors towards a guilty verdict in finely balanced trials.
They said that this was not the case - although the not proven verdict was now used for a very different purpose then the one for which it was introduced. Campaigners against the verdict were galvanised by the case of Miss M - a woman who successfully sued a man cleared of raping her.
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