LLB (Hons) Law, 1981
From Aberdeen to… Court of Session Judge
Lord Mulholland was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Courts in May 2016. He is a former Lord Advocate of Scotland (2011-2016), previously having held the post of Solicitor General (2007-2011).
He graduated in law from the University of Aberdeen in 1981 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) in 2013. In 2015 he was appointed honorary professor in Scots law at the University.
He has wide experience including having been Procurator Fiscal in Edinburgh, Area Procurator Fiscal for Lothian and Borders, Crown Counsel and Senior Crown Counsel.
He has dealt with the most challenging and high profile cases as a prosecutor and has appeared in the appellate courts, including a full bench of the Appeal Court and in the UK Supreme Court.
He has dealt with the most challenging and high profile cases as a prosecutor including the Lockerbie bombing, the disappearance and murder of Moira Anderson [in 1957], the murder of Elaine Doyle [in 1986], John Dowling [Murder of an 8 year old girl, Christine Lee], James Mack [Murder of Edith Lansborough], William Beggs [murder of Barry Wallace], Stewart Blackburn [murder of Jessica McHagh], Gavin Brown [Murder of Craig McGhee], Nat Fraser [murder of his wife Arlene], Peter Tobin [murder of Vicky Hamilton] and Alexander Pacteau [murder of the Irish nurse Karen Buckley].
In 2005 he successfully prosecuted Transco PLC for the gas explosion in Larkhall resulting in the deaths of 4 members of the one family. As a result the company was fined 15 million pounds, a record fine for the UK.
In 2014 he successfully presented application in Scotland’s first Double Jeopardy case against Angus Sinclair which he then successfully prosecuted resulting in the conviction of Sinclair for the murders of two teenage girls last seen alive leaving the Worlds End public House in Edinburgh in October 1977. This case was the longest wait for justice in Scottish legal history [37 years] and resulted in the longest sentence handed down by a judge in Scotland [37 years].
As Lord Advocate he was a leading opponent of all crimes of hate crime and has personally set about tackling unresolved homicides in Scotland setting up the Cold Case Unit. He has revolutionised the Prosecution service in Scotland introducing dedicated specialist units including the National Sexual Crimes Unit, the Wildlife and Environmental Crime Unit and the Health and Safety Unit.
He is a keen gardener and an aficionado of military history, particularly the American Civil war, the Napoleonic wars and the First World War.