Environmental and Wildlife Crime Committee
Remit and terms of reference
The Environmental and Wildlife Crime Working Group Committee will support the Scottish Sentencing Council in its preparation of a sentencing guideline on environmental and wildlife crime.
The Committee will oversee all aspects of the development of the guideline until submission to the High Court and will give consideration thereafter to ongoing monitoring of the guideline. The Council will specify the expected lifetime of the committee. This may be reviewed and, if appropriate, amended by the Council during the committee’s lifetime. The Committee’s work will include, in particular:
- making recommendations to the Council as to its scope, content and approach
- identifying knowledge and information gaps relevant to the guideline’s development, submitting any proposals for research to the Research Committee
- reviewing draft guidelines prepared by the Secretariat, providing advice and direction as required while having regard to any guideline methodology and drafting style agreed by the Council
- supporting engagement with relevant stakeholders at all stages of the guideline’s development
- overseeing the judicial and public consultation process, including the preparation of consultation documents and impact assessments
The Committee will report regularly to the Council on the progress of guideline development, making recommendations and, where appropriate, referring significant or potentially controversial decisions to the Council.
Current Members
Sheriff Iain Fleming
Sheriff member
Sheriff Fleming will hold office until March 2026.
Sheriff Iain Fleming was appointed as a part time sheriff in 2005 and as a full time sheriff in 2014, following a career as a solicitor and solicitor advocate. He served in the Sheriffdom of North Strathclyde at Greenock Sheriff Court until 2017, and since then has sat in Glasgow Sheriff Court, conducting courts at summary and solemn level. As part of his duties in Glasgow he has presided at the problem-solving Alcohol Court since February 2018. He has also been a shrieval member of the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland since 2011.
Victoria Young
Advocate member
Victoria will hold office until November 2028.
Victoria practises mainly in criminal law and has acted in the High Court for both prosecution and defence since being admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1995. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1991 and spent a number of years with Brodies Solicitors in Edinburgh before beginning her devilling (training) with the Faculty in 1994. Since calling to the bar, she has been instructed in more than 150 High Court trials, including for offences such as murder, rape, terrorism and serious assault. In 2020, she was appointed ad hoc Advocate Depute with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and since then has prosecuted trials and conducted Evidence by Commission. For the last three years, Victoria has also assisted with the National Bar Mock Trials Competition. She is also a trainer with the Faculty of Advocates Advocacy Training Course.