The High Court of Justiciary is Scotland’s supreme criminal court and sits in Glasgow to try the most serious offences, such as murder or rape.
Glasgow Sheriff Court serves the city and surrounding area, handling criminal cases of intermediate seriousness and civil disputes.
Read on for all the latest Glasgow court news, interviews and updates.
Latest Glasgow court news
As reported by Glasgow Times, here is a selection of the latest Glasgow court news stories.
Thug viciously attacked man in Glasgow leaving him in sling
Drug dealer caught in £32,000 police raid at Glasgow home
Glasgow drug dealer caught with two false passports
Where to find Glasgow Court rolls
Most historical records for Glasgow’s higher courts are preserved at the National Records of Scotland (NRS) in Edinburgh.
Glasgow Sheriff Court’s historical case files are held by the NRS under reference SC36 and can be searched via the NRS online catalogue, with original documents available to view in person or by copy order.
Records of Glasgow’s Burgh Courts, Police Courts and Justice of the Peace Courts are deposited at Glasgow City Archives (Mitchell Library) under references such as GB243/B1–B8 for burgh courts and GB243/JP6–JP22 for JP courts and must be consulted on-site (no public online database).
Current daily “court rolls” (scheduled case lists for Glasgow Sheriff Court—criminal & civil—and High Court sittings in Glasgow) are freely published and updated each evening for the next five working days on the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service website’s Court Rolls section.
What’s the difference between the Glasgow Courts?
Glasgow’s courts operate at three levels – the Justice of the Peace Court, the Sheriff Court, and the High Court.
The Justice of the Peace Court is the lowest level of criminal court, handling minor offenses such as breach of the peace, minor assaults, minor road traffic infractions, and petty theft.
The Sheriff Court handles criminal and civil matters. For criminal cases, it tries offenses that are considered too serious for the Justice of the Peace Court but not grave enough for the High Court.
The High Court of Justiciary is Scotland’s supreme criminal court. It sits permanently in Edinburgh and Glasgow. When it convenes in Glasgow, it handles the most serious criminal cases.
What’s the contact number for the Courts?
The Glasgow Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court can be contacted at 0141 429 8888, while the Glasgow High Court’s phone number is 0141 552 3795.
For general enquiries at the Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court, email glasgow@scotcourts.gov.uk.
For jury enquiries, email glasgowjurors@scotcourts.gov.uk.
Glasgow court addresses
The Glasgow High Court is located at 1 Mart Street, Saltmarket, Glasgow, G1 5JT.
The Sheriff Court & Justice of the Peace Court is at 1 Carlton Place, Glasgow, G5 9DA.
Where to find verdicts/sentences on Glasgow court cases
The availability of sentencing details varies by court and case type.
In general, only selected judgments or sentencing remarks of significant cases are published online.
For cases in the High Court, selected sentencing remarks are published on the Judiciary of Scotland website.
For any unposted outcomes, contact the High Court of Justiciary clerks (Edinburgh or Glasgow).
At the Sheriff Courts, major civil judgments appear on the SCTS Judgments portal.
Criminal sentences are not posted online. To see those, ask the Glasgow Sheriff Court clerk’s office.
Justice of the Peace Courts’ verdicts and sentences are not generally published.
Only rare, high-profile cases may have statements on the Judiciary site.
What to expect at jury duty
Jurors are chosen randomly through a process known as a ballot.
After 5pm the day before you have been cited to attend, you should call the number provided on your citation.
A recorded message will let you know whether you are due to be included in the following day’s ballot and should expect a call from the court, or if you need to call again later.
Court staff will contact you on the day of the ballot to confirm whether your name will be entered.
At this point, you should inform the court if any unforeseen circumstances prevent you from taking part in the jury.
If you are selected following the ballot, you will receive another phone call to let you know.
To read the full guidelines, go here.
You are not paid for jury service, but you are allowed to claim expenses.
To read the Q&As, go here.
Glasgow Courts opening hours
The Sheriff Clerk’s office is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 1pm, and 2pm to 4pm.
Parking at Glasgow courts
There is very limited parking at the Glasgow Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace Court.
The nearest public car parks are King Street (off Bridgegate), Stockwell Place (off Stockwell Street), and St Enoch Shopping Centre.
The nearest public car parks to Glasgow High Court are King St (off Bridgegate), Stockwell Place (off Stockwell St), and St Enoch Shopping Centre.
Disabled parking is only in the vicinity of the Court.
Can you take a bag to court?
Yes, but when you enter a courts or tribunals building, your bags and pockets will be checked.
