A ruling that an armed robber’s human rights had been breached because telephone calls he made from jail were preceded by a recording stating he was calling from a prison was branded “ludicrous” last night.

The number of cases where criminals were jailed fell last year, according to figures released yesterday. The Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts figures, published by the Scottish Executive, showed fewer than 16,000 custodial sentences were imposed in 2005-06 – down 4% from the previous year.

The head of the umbrella group for Scotland’s 50,000 charities and voluntary bodies yesterday called for a leaner, more responsive civil service and a complete overhaul in the relationship between government and voters. Speaking to the What Government For Scotland conference yesterday in Edinburgh, Martin Sime, the chief executive of the Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), called for a reduction in the number of quangos and local authorities in Scotland.

A total of 20 soldiers have failed drugs tests after the Army carried out a raid on their barracks in Midlothian. The men tested positive for a range of drugs including cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis.

An inspectors’ report on child protection services in the Borders has said they are working well. HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) studied the quality of provision between October and November last year.

Changes in the law which will make it easier for former shipyard workers to claim compensation for asbestos-related lung cancer will be approved later.

A convicted criminal has won a legal challenge after he claimed a recorded message on phone calls from prison breached his human rights. Stewart Potter, 43, from Glasgow, is serving a 21-year sentence for assault and robbery.

A charity which has helped hundreds of seriously ill children to enjoy a holiday is to be disbanded later this year. Advancing years, coupled with a dramatic increase in paperwork for the national charity regulator, have convinced the two former nurses who set up The Sunshine Holiday Fund to wind up the charity.

A nurse has been found guilty of tormenting dementia sufferers at a care home. Jeffrey Ednalan, 34, carried out a number of abuses on helpless residents at Colinton Care Home in Edinburgh during the five months he spent working there.

Almost 5,000 families have been refused permission to send children to their school of choice according to a report published yesterday. Figures released by the Scottish Executive revealed that 4,838 parents had placing requests refused in 2005-6, compared with 4,547 the year before.