HAIR-RAISING

Fury at cash spent on 'archaic' wigs and robes in courts

- MARK MCGIVERN

JUDGES and sheriffs in Scotland are spending a hair-raising amount on wigs, sparking fury from poverty campaigners.

The Record can reveal the cost of posh hairpieces for our top law officers mounted up to £48,000 in the past five years.

This was despite recent moves away from the traditional garb, which some say is stuffy and can be bewildering for witnesses and defendants.

Many lawyers have argued in favour of keeping the robes and wigs, to underscore the gravity of courts.

But lawyer and campaigner Aamer Anwar said he doesn't believe the public support "a 16th-century symbol of vanity". He said: "Wigs today present an archaic image of our courts that belong in the dark ages when there was no concept of justice, with one law for the rich and one for the poor.

"I suspect the usual suspects who wear them will be up in arms defending tradition and gravitas, regarding it as a symbol of power and respect for the law.

"But at a time that the legal aid system is being decimated, they should focus on defending justice' if they really care.