#Sextortion is a form of online blackmail.
It is where criminals threaten to share nude or semi-nude photographs of their victim if money is not paid or if the victim does not comply with some other harmful demand.
Learn more:
A 36-year-old man has been sentenced after an attempted murder in Edinburgh in 2023.
Terence Reilly was arrested and charged after the attack on a 63-year-old man in Loaning Road on Sunday, 6 August, 2023.
He was jailed for eight years at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday – Thursday, 13 February, 2025.
He was found guilty of assault to severe injury, endangerment to life and attempted murder at the same court on Thursday, 16 January, 2025.
Detective Sergeant Sophie McWhinnie said: “This was a random attack on a stranger and Reilly now faces the consequences of his violent actions.
“His victim played a vital role in achieving this outcome and I would like to thank him for his support and hope that he can now begin to move on from this experience.
“Violence and endangering the lives of others will not be tolerated and we will rigorously pursue those responsible of such crimes and ensure they are brought to justice.
“We would like to thank the community for their assistance with this enquiry, particularly those who stopped at the time to help.”
An Edinburgh man has been sentenced to 44 months in prison for explosives offences and possession of incident images of children.
Ryan O’Donnell, 37 was sentenced yesterday, Wednesday, 12 February, 2025, at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Mixed powders, including potassium nitrate, were found at his home address in Edinburgh, as well as equipment that could be used to make homemade explosives.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years for possession of almost 1500 images of children.
Detective Sergeant Jordan Sharp said: “The substances O’Donnell possessed were dangerous and could have caused serious harm if they had been used.
“The unlicenced manufacturing of homemade explosives is illegal, irrespective of the intention, and places the public at risk.
“He will also face the consequences of his actions for possessing indecent images of children. Sexual exploitation is despicable, and we remain committed to protecting children.
“We have highly trained, specialist officers, across the country who can investigate such offences and, working with partners, ensure perpetrators are brought to justice.”
Almost half of UK police forces (48%) have caught motorists driving over 90mph on 30mph roads – more than three times the speed limit, new data analysed by the RAC has revealed.*
A Freedom of Information request to the UK’s 45 police forces also found that, of the 40 with data, almost all (90%) had clocked people driving at 60mph – more than twice the limit – on these roads.
With the highest recorded speed on any road being 167mph on a 70mph stretch of the M1 by Leicestershire Police, the new RAC study paints an alarming picture of the speeds some motorists have been caught driving at.
Looking at the largest difference between the speed recorded and the posted limit, the highest logged speed was 161mph on a 50mph eastbound stretch of the A303 in Somerset.
More than half of police forces (23, or 58%) recorded drivers travelling in excess of 140mph. While most of these contraventions were on 70mph motorway stretches, this wasn’t always the case. South Yorkshire Police clocked a driver at 146mph on a 50mph southbound stretch of the M1, while Police Scotland detected someone driving at 148mph on a 60mph section of the A68 in the Scottish Borders.
But perhaps most disturbing of all are the speeds some people are prepared to drive at on 20mph and 30mph roads – those that are far more likely to have high numbers of pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users using them.
South Yorkshire Police recorded a speed of 122mph on a 30mph road, while North Wales Police logged a vehicle being driven at 88mph on a 20mph road. Both speeds are more than four times faster than the speed limits.
In total, six-in-10 police forces (24) have caught motorists driving over twice the speed limit on 20mph roads, with seven recording speeds of more than 60mph.
Government data shows speed is the biggest factor reported in fatal road collisions – it is a factor in 58% of fatalities, and in 43% of road collisions of all severities. In 2023 speed contributed to 888 fatalities, and 39,882 collisions of all severities.**
RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “Although this data is a snapshot, it shines a light on the incredibly dangerous actions of a few, that are putting law-abiding road users at serious risk. Thankfully, the police were on hand to catch these drivers.
“There is no place for the vastly excessive speeds that some people are prepared to drive. While some speeds were recorded in the middle of the night when traffic will have been lighter, this isn’t always the case – some of the fastest drivers were clocked at other times of day when they’d have been sharing the roads with many others.
“Speed is the leading cause of deaths on UK roads. We look forward to the Government’s forthcoming road safety strategy understanding what can be done to reduce such avoidable casualties on the UK’s roads.”
National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for roads policing Chief Constable Jo Shiner said: “We know that some incidents of going over the speed limit can be genuine mistakes or errors but the speeds cited here are clearly drivers taking deliberate decisions to travel at excessive speeds, putting everyone at risk.
“Speed limits are set based on many factors including the road layout, what’s in the surrounding area and taking into account where there might be more vulnerable road users. Choosing to drive above those limits is reckless, selfish and completely unacceptable.
“We all have a responsibility to keep each other safe and do whatever we can to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads each day.”
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “One life lost on our roads is one too many and that’s why I’m committed to Vision Zero. No more deaths on our roads.
“Too many people are being killed or seriously injured and we need to act now. I’ve launched a Road Safety Action Plan and appointed the UK’s first dedicated road safety commissioner, Mat MacDonald, to make sure communities’ voices are heard and real action is taken to prevent more tragedies on our roads.”
The RAC’s study on speeding – one of the so-called ‘Fatal Four’ behaviours that cause most fatal collisions on the roads*** – follows its earlier work in January that identified a culture of speeding among some drivers in the UK.
TAKE FIVE – STAYING SAFE ONLINE
Safter Internet Day is a great time to get together to talk about staying safe online and protecting ourselves against fraud and scams.
Whether that’s educating yourself, your kids, your friends, family or even colleagues.
Here are Take Five’s top tips to stay safe online:
Use strong and unique passwords for your online accounts
Turn on 2-step verification to add an extra layer of security to your accounts
Avoid clicking on links from social media, emails, texts or online ads
Update your software and apps regularly
Check your online privacy settings and be mindful of what personal information you share on social media, online forums or dating apps
Our dedicated team of #SpecialConstables volunteered over 820hrs in #Edinburgh during January 2025 – an incredible effort from an incredible team!
With a long and impressive history, the Special Constabulary is a part-time, volunteer body consisting of voluntary officers with identical powers to that of police officers. As a special constable, you’ll work alongside our police officers in your spare time – forging strong partnerships in the community, patrolling our streets, preventing crime, and interacting with all kinds of people to give back, keep your local community safe and make a real difference.
You can work full time and be a Special Constable in just 96 hours per year or a few hours a week. The role is diverse, demanding, and rewarding. You could be doing anything from policing a football match to assisting at a road accident. Special constables also police major sporting and public events and provide an excellent bridge between the Police Service and the public, representing both the community within the police service and the police service within local communities.
Special Constables can act as a positive force for change – bringing with them an extensive pool of skills, talents, experience, local knowledge, and diverse backgrounds – as well as enhancing the overall level of service provided by the police. So whatever your walk of life, step forward now and find out how being a police volunteer could be the perfect fit to suit your lifestyle.
If you would like to volunteer with Police Scotland , serving communities in the capital, follow the link to find out more … https://orlo.uk/z9Jrl
Three men arrested in connection with the seizure of Class A drugs in West Lothian have been charged in connection with serious and organised crime and drugs offences.
They are due to appear at Livingston Sheriff Court on Monday, 10 February, 2025.
It follows an operation on Thursday (6 February 2025) where officers seized drugs worth an estimated ONE MILLION pounds.
Warrants were executed across West Lothian resulting in four people being arrested in connection with organised crime and drugs offences.
The activity was a part of an ongoing investigation, Operation Silhouette and is led by the Serious and Organised Crime Unit to target and dismantle serious organised crime groups.
Locations visited included Fauldhouse, West Calder, Polbeth and Livingston.
Officers recovered 21.5kg of Cocaine, worth an estimated street value of £1,000,000, and seized around £80,000.
A woman aged 54 and three men aged 29, 35 and 54 were arrested. The woman was released pending further enquiries.
Detective Superintendent Steven Elliott said: “This is a significant seizure and continues to highlight our ongoing efforts to disrupt drug supply and protect those in our communities affected by illegal drugs.
“We work every day to protect the public to prevent drugs being circulated on our streets. This is vitally important in addressing the concerns of local people.
“Our operation underlines our commitment to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country’s Serious Organised Crime Strategy.
“Information and support from the public is vital to our work and I would encourage anyone with concerns about drug activity in their area to contact us via 101.”
Road Policing officers are appealing for information following a crash involving a car and a pedestrian in Edinburgh.
Emergency services were called to the A701 Howden Hall Road near the junction with Alnwickhill Road, around 2.20pm yesterday – Thursday, 6 February 2025.
The pedestrian, an 89-year-old woman, was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to be treated for serious injuries.
The driver of the Land Rover was not injured.
The road was closed for around three hours to allow for investigations to be carried out.
Sergeant Fraser Mitchell said “Our enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances and I am appealing to anyone who witnessed the crash get in touch.
“I would also appeal to anyone who may have dash-cam or private CCTV footage that could assist our enquiries to contact us.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 1901 of 6 February 2025.
Five more people have been arrested in connection with disorder offences that took place in Edinburgh on Bonfire Night last year.
As part of the ongoing criminal investigation into the disorder that took place in Calder Road, officers executed two search warrants at addresses in the Broomhall and Saughton areas on Thursday, 30 January 2025. A 17-year-old male was arrested in Broomhall, while a 16-year-old male was arrested in Saughton.
Between Thursday, 30 and Friday, 31 January 2025, three other males aged 17, 17 and 25 were arrested in connection with offences that took place in Calder Road and Captains Road.
Four males aged 15, 16, 19 and 27 have also been reported to the Procurator Fiscal following the incidents in Captains Road.
The total number of people reported across Scotland for Bonfire Night criminality is now 61, with 41 of these individuals being linked to incidents in Edinburgh.
Chief Superintendent David Robertson said: “I will continue to reaffirm my message in the wake of the disorder we experienced on 5 November 2024, that if you were involved, you will be caught. It may take time, but you will not evade justice.
“Enforcement activity like this will continue to take place wherever and whenever we have gathered sufficient evidence.
“The public can continue to support us with our inquiries by coming forward with information, or submitting video or photographic evidence via our Major Incident Public Portal at https://mipp.police.uk/operation/SCOT24S16-PO1.”
The body of a second woman was recovered from the River Dee in Aberdeen late last night (Friday, 31 January, 2025).
Officers found the body in an area of the river near to the Victoria Bridge around 9.05pm and it was subsequently recovered.
The woman has yet to be identified but the family of Eliza Huszti, 32, who had been reported missing in the area on Tuesday, 7 January, has been informed.
Enquires are ongoing to establish the full circumstances but there are no apparent suspicious circumstances.
This follows the discovery of the body of a woman in the River Dee around 7.55am on the same date and the family of Henrietta Huszti, 32, were informed.
Both women were last seen on Market Street at the Victoria Bridge over the River Dee around 2.12 am on Tuesday, 7 January, 2025.
Superintendent David Howieson said: “Our thoughts remain with the Huszti family and we are keeping them fully updated following these recoveries.
“We know how much of an impact this has had in Aberdeen and much further afield and I would like to thank everyone who has assisted with our investigation.”
