Legal Definitions - criminal letter

In Scots law, a criminal letter refers to a formal document issued by a court that serves as a summons, compelling an individual to appear before it to answer specific criminal charges. It officially notifies the person of the allegations against them and specifies the date and time they are required to attend court in Scotland.

Here are some examples illustrating how a criminal letter might be used:

• Example 1: Traffic Offense
  After a driver in Glasgow is caught by a speed camera, they might later receive a formal document in the mail instructing them to appear at a local Sheriff Court. This document would be a criminal letter, officially summoning them to face the speeding charge.

  Explanation: This illustrates a criminal letter as a formal summons for a relatively minor criminal offense, requiring the individual to attend a Scottish court.

• Example 2: Minor Public Disturbance
  Following a noise complaint and a minor altercation at a public event in Edinburgh, police investigate the incident. Instead of an immediate arrest, one of the individuals involved later receives a formal document from the court, ordering them to appear to answer charges related to public disorder.

  Explanation: Here, the criminal letter acts as the official notification and summons for an individual to attend a Scottish court to address criminal charges stemming from a public disturbance.

• Example 3: Shoplifting Allegation
  A person is identified through store surveillance footage as having shoplifted items from a supermarket in Aberdeen. The police gather evidence, and rather than taking the person into custody immediately, a formal document is sent to their home, requiring their presence in court to respond to the theft charges.

  Explanation: This scenario demonstrates a criminal letter being used to formally summon an individual to a Scottish court to answer criminal charges, in this case, for shoplifting, without an initial arrest.