The abolition of the not proven verdict should have happened decades ago.
This strange quirk of the Scottish legal system has cast a shadow on our courts for too long. SNP ministers finally confirmed yesterday that legislation will be tabled at Holyrood to reform the justice system.
Juries will be reduced from 15 to 12 members and they will be offered a straight choice of verdicts – guilty or not guilty. It will bring jury trials in Scotland in line with those in England and Wales.