15 August 2008
LORD ADVOCATE APPOINTS NEW PROCURATOR FISCAL FOR ABERDEEN
The Lord Advocate, the Right Honourable Eilish Angiolini QC, has appointed Stephen McGowan as District Procurator Fiscal for Aberdeen.
Mr McGowan, previously District Procurator Fiscal for Greenock, will now hold a commission for Aberdeen Sheriff Court District and will act as the personal representative of the Lord Advocate on a day to day basis. He will have local responsibility for the investigation and prosecution of crime and the investigation of sudden, suspicious and unexplained deaths.
Announcing the appointment, Mrs Angiolini said:
"With around ten years experience in the criminal justice system, Stephen is a well respected prosecutor renowned for putting the quality of service we deliver to all our local communities at the heart of our prosecution policies.
"I know that Stephen plans to spend his first few weeks meeting key local representatives of the criminal justice system in order to build his understanding of the issues facing communities in and around Aberdeen. His personal knowledge of developing criminal justice policies in order to ensure they meet the needs of the people we serve will prove invaluable in this role.
Mr McGowan said:
"I relish this exciting opportunity to lead the Procurator Fiscal Service in Aberdeen. I know that we have established strong working relationship with local criminal justice agencies and I plan to build on these. This will ensure that my colleagues and I continue to deliver a professional, responsive prosecution service to the communities of Aberdeen and the North East."
Notes to editors:
1. Stephen McGowan graduated from the University of Strathclyde with an LLB(Hons) in 1995.
2. Mr McGowan started his career as a defence solicitor in Edinburgh before joining the Procurator Fiscal Service at Hamilton in 1999.
3. He has undertaken a number of roles since then including a spell as a Principal Depute in the High Court Unit at Crown Office from 2002-2004.
4. He returned to the Hamilton office for a short period then in June 2005 he was seconded to the Scottish Executive Justice Department as Secretary to the National Criminal Justice Board.
5. In August 2007 Mr McGowan was appointed District Procurator Fiscal for Greenock and Rothesay.
6. Mr McGowan took up post as District Procurator Fiscal for Aberdeen on Monday 11 August.
- The Aberdeen Procurator Fiscal Service deals with over 15,000 cases a year.
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