Shops are closing. Newspaper sales are falling. But we’ve chosen to keep our coverage of the Coronavirus crisis free because it’s so important that the people of Glasgow stay informed during this difficult time.

To help us get through this, we’re asking readers who can afford it to contribute either £3, £5 or £8 a month to the Glasgow Times.

If you choose to sign up, we’ll also take away all the adverts – and deliver a digital version of the print paper to your device. Click here to help Save Your Times: www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/subscribe

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Scottish Government has shelved plans to halt jury trials during the coronavirus crisis.

First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon and Constitution Secretary, Michael Russell, announced emergency legislation yesterday which included suspending trail by jury for the most serious crimes and instead would be heard and decided by a judge sitting alone.

However, the plan was met with opposition from the Tories and LibDems and from senior members of the legal profession.

Now, less than 24 hours later, the government has said it is withdrawing the plans and will bring back different proposals to deal with pressures on the leagal system later this month.

Mr Russell said the government was withdrawing that section of the Coronavirus Scotland Bill "to allow an intensive and wide-ranging discussion by all interested parties, including victims, whose voice has not yet been fully heard, about the right way to ensure that justice continues to be done in Scotland".

The Scottish Bar Association said when the plan was announced “What is proposed includes attacks on principles that have been built over more than 600 years and are the very cornerstone of not just Scotland’s criminal justice system, but those of almost every advanced liberal democracy in the developed world.”

The Conservatives, LibDems and some Labour MSPs had said they would vote against it.