A man has been jailed for 12 years for a series of non-recent sexual and violent offences in Edinburgh.
Ian Whyte, 62, was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh today – Wednesday, 21 October, 2026.
He has also been placed on the sex offenders register.
He had previously been found guilty of the offences, including rape, attempted rape, sexual assault and assault, at the same court on Wednesday, 2 September.
The offences were committed between December 1978 and May 1998, against victims aged from an infant to 15-years-old.
Following an extensive investigation, he was arrested and charged by officers.
Detective Inspector Steph Garnett said: “This was a complex investigation and our thoughts are with the victims. I hope the sentence helps them to come to terms with the abuse they suffered.
“Whyte will now face the consequences of his despicable actions.
“Police Scotland takes all reports of sexual abuse seriously. Regardless of the passage of time, we will investigate and bring those responsible to justice.
“We remain committed to supporting victims of sexual crime and protecting children from harm and abuse.
“I would urge anyone who is a victim of abuse to speak to police in the knowledge you will be listened to, taken seriously and fully supported.”
Around 6.50am this morning (Wednesday, 21 October, 2026) we received a report of a motorbike theft on Darnell Road in Trinity.
A van believed to have been involved in the incident, which had also been reported as stolen, was traced a short time later in the Granton Road area but failed to stop for officers.
A short pursuit followed before being called off. The van was then involved in a collision with a cyclist before being found abandoned on Drumsheugh Gardens.
The cyclist was taken to hospital for treatment. There were no other reports of injuries.
The occupants of the van, males aged 15 and 20, left the scene and were later traced. The 20-year-old was arrested in connection with the incident and the 15-year-old will be reported to relevant authorities. Enquiries are ongoing.
Road Policing Inspector John Easton said: “We understand the circumstances of the incident this morning are concerning for local residents.
“I’d like to reassure the public, our priority is public safety and specially trained officers were deployed alongside divisional resources to ensure a safe conclusion.
“Our enquiries remain ongoing and if you have any information about the incident or have private CCTV, doorbell or dash-cam footage which has captured anything of significance please call 101 quoting incident 0416 of 21 October.”
The BBC has confirmed the closure of BBC Three, BBC Scotland and BBC Radio 4 Extra linear broadcast services in Spring 2027.
The BBC needs to make tough decisions due to the sustained financial pressures facing the organisation and must make savings of £500 million by 2028. Latest changes were announced to staff yesterday. It means:
BBC Three commissions, supported by increased investment in content for younger audiences will be available on BBC iPlayer and on other platforms, including YouTube.
Programmes from Radio 4 Extra will be on BBC Sounds – and The Daily Service will be on BBC Sounds and local radio.
In a note to staff setting out the changes, BBC Director-General Matt Brittin said: “We need to make every pound work harder for audiences as we respond to the immediate cost pressures and reinvent the BBC for a changing world. We all know that means tough choices.”
He added on the closure of linear broadcast services: “Much of the great content they currently carry will still be found where audiences already enjoy it on iPlayer and Sounds. While this follows media speculation, I recognise the confirmation of this news will be hard for audiences and colleagues.”
More changes have also been announced in BBC News. New Director of BBC News, Rachel Jupp will be laying out plans for further savings early next year as part of the longer-term vision for BBC News. Other divisions will confirm savings plans as soon as possible in the coming months.
The decision follows a BBC-wide review of its linear services and reflects the continuing shift in audience consumption from traditional broadcast television to digital platforms. It will ensure BBC Scotland’s wide range of programming across drama, factual, comedy, entertainment and sport remains available to audiences in Scotland and beyond, while also contributing to BBC Scotland’s savings targets.
This decision will require the closure of approximately 10 posts, in addition to the 60 role closures already announced by BBC Scotland earlier this year. A consultation period has begun with impacted teams and unions.
The BBC also confirmed that Reporting Scotland: News at Seven will not move to BBC iPlayer and will cease when the linear channel closes. Audiences will continue to be served by BBC Scotland’s wider news offering across television, audio and digital platforms, including Reporting Scotland; The Sunday Show; Radio Scotland Breakfast; Scotcast and Debate Night.
The BBC Scotland channel brand will continue to be available on BBC iPlayer, where audiences are increasingly choosing to watch content on demand. Audience requests to view BBC Scotland content on iPlayer keep growing, reaching record levels in 25/26. Signed in accounts for BBC Scotland content on BBC iPlayer have grown by 70% over the last 4 years and currently over 1m accounts access BBC Scotland content every week.
As part of the changes, BBC Two in Scotland will be reconfigured to enable the BBC to deliver Scotland-only programming. This will be alongside BBC One Scotland, where Scottish programming already forms an important part of the schedule including Scotland’s Home of the Year; our award-winning investigative series Disclosure; Murder Case; Inside Barlinnie; Scottish Cup Final and Hogmanay.
BBC Two in Scotland will become the new home for the broadcaster’s SPFL Championship on Friday evenings.
Tuesday’s announcement forms part of a broader package of changes across the BBC’s linear portfolio. Full details of the announcement are available here. These changes are part of the BBC’s long-term strategy to focus investment on digital services while maintaining universal access to high-quality public service content.
Commenting on the announcement, Hayley Valentine, BBC Scotland Director, said: “Against the backdrop of significant financial challenges, we must focus our resources where they will have the greatest impact for audiences. The way audiences watch television continues to change at pace and our data tells us that more people are choosing to watch BBC Scotland content on BBC iPlayer now.
“By continuing the channel on BBC iPlayer, we can ensure Scottish content thrives in a digital environment, while BBC Two in Scotland, alongside BBC One Scotland, will maintain a strong and distinctive Scottish presence on linear television.
“It is always sad to see programmes come to an end and I am extremely proud of the News at Seven team and everything they have delivered since launching. Our teams are highly skilled, and we will continue to evolve our news and current affairs offer to reflect the changing way people consume journalism today.”
Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning, BBC Scotland added: “Scotland’s audiences value content that reflects the nation, its communities and its culture.
“Alongside an increased presence on BBC network with titles such as Counsels, Banjo & Ro’s Grand Island Hotel and Two Doors Down, audiences will continue to be able to access BBC Scotland’s programmes on BBC iPlayer and across BBC One Scotland and BBC Two in Scotland.”
The BBC needs to make ‘tough decisions’ due to the sustained financial pressures facing the organisation and must make savings of £500 million by 2028.
SONAS: Sounds of New Artists Scotlandruns 19-28 February 2027 in venues across Scotland.
Created by Tinderbox Collective, the festival celebrates emerging artists and bands aged 14-25.
A wider programme of gigs, showcases, workshops and creative events to be revealed in the coming months.
The festival is hosting a major callout for artists, bands, venues, promoters and youth music organisations across Scotland to get involved.
Tinderbox Collective today launches SONAS: Sounds of New Artists Scotland, announcing a bold new nationwide festival designed to open up more stages, spark new connections and celebrate Scotland’s next wave of emerging musicians.
Running 19–28 February 2027, SONAS will bring gigs, workshops and artist‑led events to communities across Scotland – from major cities to island halls, coastal towns, village venues, record stores, youth centres and unexpected spaces.
The festival is built with partners across the country and aims to create meaningful opportunities for musicians and bands aged 14–25, whether they’re playing their first gig or already building momentum in their careers.
SONAS is issuing a major callout to artists, bands, venues, promoters, youth music organisations and anyone passionate about Scotland’s new music to get involved.
Claire Docherty, Senior Producer at Tinderbox Collective, said: “SONAS is about opening up the map, shining a spotlight on local venues and organisations, connecting communities and celebrating the incredible amount of talent that Scotland’s next generation has to offer.”
SONAS invites young musicians aged 14–25 to apply to play at events in their own area, with applications shared directly with participating venues and promoters. Young people can also organise their own SONAS event, from headline shows to unplugged sets, school gigs, youth centre performances or collaborations with local venues. The festival encourages events of all sizes and styles, as long as they platform and celebrate young and emerging artists.
Scotland’s music community is already rallying behind SONAS, with participating venues and organisations confirmed across the country. Iconic spaces such as Caird Hall (Dundee) The Jazz Bar and Queens Hall in Edinburgh are already involved, alongside a growing network of partners in every region; including Jazz Scotland, Macarts (Galashiels) An Seaomar (Inverness) and An Lanntair (Stornoway), as well as venues in Aberdeen, Dumfries, East Lothian, Fife, the Borders, the Western Isles and Caithness.
SONAS is also working closely with Hen Hoose; the pioneering women and non-binary-led songwriting collective who recently announced Scotland’s first safety certification scheme for the music industry, and Bit Collective; a huge driver in progressive and intersectional structural change in the Scottish folk and traditional music community.
Venues, promoters and music organisations from all across Scotland are being encouraged to get involved.
“We want SONAS to be a national celebration powered by everyone who gets involved,” said Claire Docherty. “Every artist who applies, every promoter who takes a chance on a new act, every organisation that spreads the word – they’re all part of building something new for Scotland’s music scene.”
Alongside the callout, SONAS is announcing its first series of free online artist‑development workshops and open mics, curated in partnership with the Music Education Partnership Group and Graeme Smilie – musician, educator and researcher at the University of Glasgow and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Workshops are designed to support young musicians at every stage of their careers, and online open mics offer a place for young people to share their music with other musicians across the country.
The full programme will be announced in the coming months.
SONAS is the latest project from Tinderbox Collective, an organisation known for bringing young people, music, arts and technology together through projects rooted in creativity, collaboration and community. SONAS continues this mission by creating new routes into live music and making emerging talent easier to discover.
The festival is open to artists, venues, promoters, youth organisations, photographers, filmmakers, designers, educators, community spaces and anyone who wants to help new talent get heard.
Claire said: “Whether you’re playing your first gig or you’re a touring band, whether you’re a rapper, trad musician, jazz artist or indie punk band – there’s a place for you in the SONAS programme.
“Scotland’s next generation has an incredible breadth of musical talent as well as the many organisations who work tirelessly to foster this talent.
“We want to create a festival that celebrates all of it, inviting Scotland’s whole music community to help us do it”
Applications to play, event registration forms and workshop information are available at www.sonascotland.org
Call to scrap ‘punitive’ welfare policies and cut bills
The Scottish and Welsh Governments have called on the UK Government to scrap “punitive” welfare policies, adopt plans to cut energy bills, and to further devolve powers to help drive continued progress in tackling poverty.
In a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden and Education Secretary Lucy Powell, Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary and the Welsh Deputy First Minister have urged the UK Government to scrap the benefit cap, bedroom tax and the freeze to local housing allowance – which is widening the gap between housing benefits and real-world rent, driving homelessness and poverty.
The calls extend to pressing the UK Government to adopt Scottish Government proposals for a social tariff in the form of targeted bill discounts, with published modelling showing that 660,000 households in Scotland would see their estimated fuel bills go down by an average of £700.
The Scottish and Welsh Government signed the Cardiff Agreement last month, pledging to work together on areas including tackling child poverty and the cost of living.
Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Scotland and Wales are clear – we need to see far more from the UK Government to support people with the cost of living, and to support us in our efforts to end child poverty.
“Scotland is one of the most energy rich nations in the world but we pay some of the highest bills in Europe, already hundreds of pounds higher than was promised when the UK Government came to office. It is causing real hardship across the country and is a key driver of poverty.
“The Scottish and Welsh Governments are also clear that we need more action from the UK Budget to support our work on child poverty – that includes ending the cruel benefit cap which is punishing children for circumstances beyond their control.
“This has never been more pressing, with DWP’s own data showing that the number of Scottish children impacted doubled to nearly 20,000 between March and May this year.
“Our game-changing Scottish Child Payment shows the innovative and ambitious policies we can implement where we have the power. It shows why we need more powers in Scotland and Wales, rather than seeing them hoarded by the UK Government.
“The UK Government must now take action in their Budget to cut bills and boost living standards. And if they will not, they should hand the powers over to a Scottish Government that would.”
Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality Sioned Williams said: “We all share the belief that no child’s life should be limited by poverty. Tackling poverty is a priority for this Welsh Government, and we are addressing it in a number of ways including expanded funded childcare, and delivering a new child poverty strategy with meaningful targets.
“While we are taking firm action wherever we can, we need the UK Government to play its part and our joint letter with the Scottish Government calls for a clear set of actions to support us in tackling child poverty. This is not only about those levers which remain with the UK Government but also about supporting us to effectively use our own powers.
“An example of this is the Cynnal child payment in Wales. This can only succeed with the co-operation of the UK Government to ensure that those receiving the payment are not penalised by having their entitlement to other benefits reduced, allowing children and families to receive the maximum possible support.
“I call on the UK Government now to work with us and give us the assurance that we can make a real difference with this scheme.
“Introducing a social tariff is also key, and I join colleagues across in UK in calling for this to be introduced urgently. In many areas such as this it is the UK Government who can make the difference and the budget is the opportunity to do this for families in Wales and across the UK.”
Three £3,000 commissions are up for grabs now, with bigger opportunities ahead if Leith becomes the UK’s first Town of Culture in 2028
Leith is calling for ideas to help shape how the town celebrates its 900th birthday in 2028, with three £3,000 commissions available now and the potential for much larger projects if its UK Town of Culture bid is successful.
“Big Ideas. Leith Style.” is deliberately simple: no lengthy application forms and no need to be an established arts organisation. If you have an idea rooted in Leith, you can pitch it in writing, by voice note or short video.
Ideas could become projects, events, collaborations, conversations or acts of creativity: big or small, loud or quiet. They might draw on Leith’s football, food, music, memories, shipbuilding, golf, street art or community life, and could happen anywhere from a stage to a pub, playground, bowling club, church hall, theatre, café or kitchen.
Three £3,000 Countdown Commissions
Three projects will each receive £3,000 to take place in January and February 2027, marking one year until Leith’s 900th birthday.
Projects should celebrate an aspect of Leith’s culture, heritage or identity, bring people together and leave something behind, whether that is skills, relationships, confidence, memories or knowledge.
The commissions are open to people based in Leith, including individuals, community groups, charities and social enterprises, cultural organisations, businesses and informal networks. Partnerships are encouraged.
Bigger ideas for 2028
The call is also looking for ambitious ideas that could form part of Leith’s programme in 2028.
Local, national and international artists, creatives and organisations can submit ideas, provided they are rooted in Leith and create meaningful opportunities for local people and organisations.
If Leith is named UK Town of Culture 2028, successful projects could receive between £15,000 and £150,000 towards their development and delivery.
The strongest ideas will feel unmistakably Leith: made with people rather than for them, reaching beyond the usual audiences and leaving something lasting behind.
Susie Gray and Jenny Mungall, co-Directors of Leith Culture Partnership, said:“Culture isn’t something Leith is short of – it’s all around us. In the pubs, the bowling clubs, the church halls, the streets, artists spaces and renowned kitchens, and it has been for 900 years.
“This call is about finding the people who can tell our story brilliantly and backing them. We want ideas from everyone, locals with things to say and dreams for Leith and those who have been captivated by Leith’s character and spirit far and wide.”
Got an idea? Send it in
There is no complicated application form. Simply tell the team what your idea is, what part of Leith it celebrates, who you would work with, who it is for and why it matters.
Ideas can be submitted in writing, by voice note or short video by the end of the day on 6 November 2026.
A new Leith People’s Forum will review ideas in November, with shortlisted applicants invited to talk through their ideas further.
Support of over £2,600 available through pregnancy and early parenthood
The birth of a new baby can put financial pressure on household budgets, but there’s a wide range of financial support available from the Scottish Government to ensure children have the best start in life.
Families receiving Universal Credit or certain benefits could be eligible to more than £2,600 in financial support during pregnancy and their child’s first year of life, helping with the costs of welcoming a new baby.
Expectant families can apply for the Best Start Foods pre-paid card as soon as they find out they are pregnant, helping ease the costs of buying healthy food.
Families can also apply for Pregnancy and Baby Payment from the 24th week of pregnancy. The one-off payment can be used to purchase anything families might need for having a baby, such as a pram, toys or baby clothes.
Scottish Child Payment is also available once the child is born to help with anything needed to help raise their new baby.
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said:“Welcoming a new baby is a special and exciting time, and families should have the support they need as they prepare for the arrival of their child.
“This package of support, worth thousands of pounds for eligible households, provides extra help from pregnancy through to a baby’s first birthday and beyond. Backing families in those vital early months is central to our mission to eradicate child poverty, helping parents provide the opportunities every child deserves and giving them the best possible start in life.”
Danielle turned to her local Citizens Advice Bureau after struggling to meet essential costs while caring for her 7 month old baby alone. Financial pressures had become so severe that she was considering selling her home.
But with support from Scottish Child Payment and Best Start Foods helping to ease food shopping bills, Danielle said she and her baby had enough to eat and did not need to use a food bank.
Assistant Director for Policy and Research at Citizens Advice Scotland, Emma Jackson, commented:“Evidence from across the Citizens Advice network shows the important role that pregnancy and early years payments can play in helping families through periods of financial insecurity and change.
“Support such as Best Start Grant, Best Start Foods and Scottish Child Payment can help ease financial pressures, enabling families to afford the essentials and support children to get the best possible start in life.
“Local Citizens Advice Bureaux are there to provide free, confidential and expert advice that’s available online, over the phone or in-person to help people apply for the support they’re entitled to and make sure they don’t miss out on payments that can make a real difference to their family.”
