The Lord Advocate, the Right Honourable Elish Angiolini QC, announced the appointment of the new District Procurator Fiscal for Edinburgh and Haddington this month.
Stephen McGowan, who is currently District Procurator Fiscal in Aberdeen and Stonehaven, will now oversee prosecutions in Edinburgh and Haddington Sheriff Courts. He will also have responsibility for the investigation of sudden, suspicious and unexplained deaths.
Announcing the appointment, Mrs Angiolini said:
“Stephen McGowan is a very valued member of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Since he joined 12 years ago, the skill and dedication which he has demonstrated in prosecuting has been recognised and respected by colleagues. In particular, in his most recent role, Mr. McGowan has demonstrated a thorough understanding of the issues which are important at a local and regional level, in order to address issues which are of most importance to those living in the community.
“Our team in Edinburgh has an outstanding track record for listening to the community which it serves, and in responding to their needs and concerns. I am confident that this will continue and I know that Mr. McGowan is looking to build upon the effective working relationships with partner agencies and to learn more about the issues affecting Edinburgh, Haddington and their surrounding communities.
Stephen McGowan said:
“I am very pleased to be given this opportunity and welcome the new and important challenges that this new role will bring. My predecessors and their team worked hard to forge strong links with their communities and I look forward to building on these in the future.
“As a team we will continue to work closely with other local criminal justice agencies and City of Edinburgh Council and East Lothian Council, to target anti-social behaviour, quality of life crime and disorder at a grass roots level. By doing so, we will work to ensure that the perpetrators of crime are dealt with effectively, swiftly and efficiently, in a way that always prioritises the interests of victims of crime and reinforces our commitment to make our cities and surrounding communities better places in which to live and work.”
