Both local and national politicians are pursuing a policy of caring for vulnerable people in their own homes whenever possible.

Charities in Inverness are having to scale back services as a cut in Highland Council’s support for voluntary organsiations begins to bite. Crossroads, which provides respite care, has written to all its clients informing them that its service will be reduced across the board, while Age Concern has been forced to abandon plans to fill a vacant post after its grant was cut by £20,000.

A man and woman who kidnapped, stripped and tortured a pregnant teenager with learning difficulties have been jailed for a total of 17 years. Tammy McGregor, 19, had hot salted water poured over her wounds and cigarettes stubbed out on her at a flat in Aberdeen.

{mosimage}Lee Holt, 27, and Donna O’Neill, 21, admitted assault, causing severe injury and permanent disfigurement. At the High Court in Edinburgh, Holt received nine years and O’Neill eight.

The judge, Lord Bracadale, said that they had subjected their victim to a long and sustained experience of torture over several hours. The judge added that such examples of calculated wickedness were rare.

Relatives of Ms McGregor told BBC Scotland they were “delighted” with the sentence after what she had endured.

Ms McGregor’s two-and-a-half hour ordeal began when she was lured to a tenement flat in the city’s Park Road in September last year. There the accused tied her up, beat her, slashed her with a knife, stubbed out cigarettes on her head and body and threatened to kill her. Ms McGregor was described as having a mental age of 12 and was terrified.

A useful family of tools that can help social service employers plan their staff induction has been launched by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).  The Preparing for Practice induction tools include:

A pathologist has detailed the horrific injuries suffered by Angelika Kluk as she fought to defend herself from a “sexually motivated” attack. Dr Julie McAdam told the murder trial that the Polish student may have been alive when she was dumped under the floor of a Glasgow church.

Aberdeen City Council yesterday became the first local authority to approve plans for a total ban on airguns. Councillors in Aberdeen have backed the motion for the controversial weapons to be outlawed.

Council leader Ewan Aitken today vowed that there would be no “naming and shaming” of young offenders in Edinburgh if he is in charge after May 3 – despite a pledge by First Minister Jack McConnell to introduce the policy.

Council leader Ewan Aitken today vowed that there would be no “naming and shaming” of young offenders in Edinburgh if he is in charge after May 3 – despite a pledge by First Minister Jack McConnell to introduce the policy.

When Mark Ziervogel’s wife was seriously injured while they were on holiday in India, he was delighted with the hospital treatment she received there. But the NHS care she has received since returning to Scotland has given him cause for concern.

The number of assaults in Inverness has jumped by 40 per cent in the past year, it emerged this week. The news follows a spate of violent crimes reported in the area over the Easter break.