I've met Prince Andrew and he can be a priggish fool. But there's no evidence he's committed a crime

This is my latest column, published in the Scotsman today (28th October 2025).

At last common sense is making a comeback. The Metropolitan Police commissioner’s announcement that they will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents is a very welcome return to sanity.

No longer will his officers regulate hurt feelings. Hurrah and perhaps it’s now time for a general reset to question many peripheral police activities and get back to the core duties of the service. It’s really quite simple.

The role of the police was defined 200 years ago in a way that is as relevant now as then. Watch, guard and patrol, protect life and property, and report offenders to the court where there is evidence.

At a time of shrinking budgets and increased demand, I’m sure all police chiefs will be looking long and hard at all the peripheral jobs the police have inherited over the years. The police service was never intended to pander to the perpetually aggrieved.

And on the subject of evidence, like many, I have been agog while watching the endless news coverage of Prince Andrew’s latest travails. Lurid allegations old and new have been heaped upon the hapless Prince, but there is something missing.

Let’s be clear, Jeffrey Epstein was a predator who used his vast wealth to procure vulnerable young women for sexual exploitation. It’s also beyond doubt that the late Virginia Giuffre was a victim of trafficking, as were the other young women drawn into Epstein’s orbit.

The trafficking of young women and men is a scourge that is not restricted to the super rich with private islands. It goes on under our noses, in the nail bars and car washes in our towns and cities.

Lastly we have known for many years that Prince Andrew can be a foolish man and has poor judgment over the company he keeps. He can also be a priggish individual. I know, I have met him.

But accepting all these things, the missing part is any corroborated evidence that he has committed a crime. I have heard royal commentators, ghost writers and maybe a dozen journalists, all calling for his head.

I even listened attentively to one of our leading legal figures discussing ways that the Prince could be evicted from his house, but there is still no corroborated evidence that he has committed a crime. Allegations of criminal conduct have been investigated on a number of occasions without unearthing a sufficiency of evidence.

The fact that Prince Andrew is an unlikeable character does not make him a criminal. As we approach Halloween, we should avoid real witch hunts. Evidence is what we need, all the rest is spite and hot air.

Lastly we may have cause to regret the recent resignation of Lord Bracadale from the chair of the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry. Ongoing allegations of bias have caused the retired judge to step down. I suspect he has simply had enough.

Lord Bracadale has been one of our outstanding High Court judges with a reputation for scrupulous fairness. Suggestions of bias are frankly ludicrous.

But more important is the message his resignation sends. What retired judge in their right mind will take on these troublesome public inquiries in the future, given this disgraceful treatment of such a well-respected judge?