SCOTTISH CRIMINAL CASES REVIEW COMMISSION

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE BOARD ON FRIDAY 26 JUNE 2026

10:00 AM, HYBRID MEETING (OFFICE & VIDEO CONFERENCE)

FOR DISCLOSURE VIA THE PUBLICATION SCHEME

In line with the Commission’s Disclosure policy, various paragraphs may have been edited or deleted from these minutes as the information contained therein relates to specific case information and/or personnel-related matters. Where the summary of discussion has been edited or the names have been deleted, this is indicated at the start of the relevant paragraph or section.

Present:

  • Dr Vanessa Davies (Chair) – office
  • Dr Alex Quinn – office
  • Miss Alyson Forbes – office
  • Ms Jacqueline Fordyce – video conference
  • Mrs Gillian Mawdsley – office
  • Mrs Suzie Mertes – office
  • Mr Finlay Young – video conference

Also Present:

  • Miss Frances McMenamin KC – video conference
  • Mr Michael Walker, Chief Executive – office
  • Mr Chris Reddick, Director of Corporate Services (minutes) – office

 

Section 1: Governance Matters (edited)

1.1 Apologies

Ms Reilly had submitted her apologies.

1.2 Conflicts of Interest/Declarations of Interest/Gifts & Hospitality

Members were asked to declare any known conflicts of interests or gifts and hospitality.

There were no conflicts of interest or gifts and hospitality declared.

1.3 Minutes of Board meeting held on 29 May 2026

The Board approved the minutes of the Board meeting held on 29 May 2026, subject to minor amendment. The Board also approved the version of the minutes for the Publication Scheme, subject to minor amendment.

1.4 Matters Arising

There were no matters arising.

1.5 Board Actions List

The Board noted progress on previously agreed Board actions.

 

Section 2: Case Matters (edited)

2.1 Monthly Case Summary:

The Board noted that a total of 21 new applications had been received in June 2026 to date.

2.2 – 2.3 There were no cases in these categories.

2.4 Referral press releases in two cases had been issued since the last meeting of the Board.

2.5 – 2.6 There were no cases in these categories.

2.7 The Board noted two registrations under the Persistent & Repeated Applications Policy.

2.8 There were no cases in these categories.

 

Section 3: Proposed Referral Cases 

There were no cases in this category.

 

Section 4: Proposed Interim Cases 

There were no cases in this category.

 

Section 5: Proposed Supplementary Cases (edited) 

The Board considered four statements of reasons in this category. After full discussion it agreed not to refer the cases to the High Court.

 

Section 6: Stage 1 Pre-acceptance Cases (edited)

A total of 25 new applications were considered, and the following decisions were made:

2 cases Both cases accepted for a review of conviction and sentence.
1 case Rejected: not in the interests of justice for a review of conviction.
1 case Rejected: the applicant had not appealed and it was not in the interests of justice.
9 cases Rejected: in each case there were no plausible or stateable grounds of review.
1 case Rejected: a review was not possible because of the historic nature of the case.
8 cases Rejected: in each case the applicant had not appealed and there were no plausible or stateable grounds of review.
5 cases Rejected: in each case the applicant had not appealed.
2 cases Rejected: in both cases the grounds of review were a repeat of the grounds of appeal.
3 cases Continued: each case continued for one month for more information.

Ms Fordyce left the meeting in respect of one case, having previously declared a conflict of interest, and therefore took no part in its consideration.

 

Section 7: Management Issues (edited)

7.1 Chair’s Report

7.1.1    Dr Davies reported that the recruitment process had commenced for new Board Members and that the initial planning meeting was scheduled for 10 August 2026.

7.1.2    Dr Davies confirmed that she had scheduled the Chief Executive’s annual appraisal.

7.2 Chief Executive’s Report

7.2.1    Mr Walker also provided the Board with an update on the following matters:

  • He reported that he had attended a Public Services Reform Leadership event on 8 June 2026 hosted by the Cabinet Secretary for Public Services Reform and provided Members with an overview of the key points discussed. He confirmed that additional information would be considered at the Policy meeting on 24 July 2026.
  • He reported that the Commission had been successful in its request for additional funding to make the current fixed-term legal officer position permanent.
  • He confirmed that Mr Fenn had chaired the Committee meetings in June on his behalf.
  • He reported that he had written to the defence profession in respect of S274/275 applications and provided an update on the responses to date.

7.2.2    Mr Walker confirmed that the Audit Committee had met on 25 June 2026 and invited Mrs Mertes to provide an update on the meeting. Mrs Mertes provided the Board with a summary of the items covered at the Audit Committee meeting which she confirmed had been very constructive. She confirmed that substantial assurance had been provided by the internal auditors who had also confirmed full implementation of past internal audit recommendations. She also provided an update on the ongoing external audit, the partial implementation of the business continuity plan and some proposed updates in respect of the corporate risk register.

7.3 Court Decisions

There were no court decisions.

7.4 Correspondence:

A copy of Dr Davies’ letter to the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board was circulated to Members for information.

7.5 Notification by Members of non-case related work

Dr Davies confirmed that she had spent time dealing with a complaint.

7.6 Training & Development

Mr Walker confirmed that two new members of the administration team had commenced their employment and were currently undertaking induction training. He also confirmed that one member of staff had attended a Sustainability Scotland event and another had attended Information Governance training.

7.7 Guidance for Applicants & Representatives – Submissions to the Commission

In Mr Fenn’s absence, Mr Walker provided the Board with a summary of the updated submissions guidance document. The Board discussed the guidance document in detail, raising a number of points in relation to the use of AI, the Commission’s position papers and the legalistic nature of some of the language used. After further discussion it was agreed that this should be considered further at the Policy meeting on 24 July 2026.

7.8 Framework Document – June 2026 – C Reddick

Dr Davies confirmed that the updated Framework Document had been agreed with Scottish Government, based on the latest template. She confirmed that she would schedule some time to review the Commission’s obligations within the Framework further with Mr Reddick to ensure ongoing compliance.

 

Section 8: Concluding Matters

8.1 Any Other Competent Business

There was no other competent business.

8.2 Date of Next Meeting

  • Policy Meeting – Friday 24 July 2026 @ 10:00
  • Board Meeting – Friday 31 July 2026 @10:00

 

C Reddick

15 July 2026