Corroboration

Corroboration is the Scots law rule that the key facts of a crime must be backed by evidence from at least two separate sources.

Corroboration is a long-standing feature of Scots criminal law. As a general rule, a person cannot be convicted unless there is evidence from at least two separate sources supporting the crucial facts: that the crime was committed and that the accused committed it. The second source does not have to be another eyewitness. It can be forensic evidence, CCTV, a partial admission, other circumstances pointing to guilt, or, in some cases, a complainer's distress seen soon afterwards. Some statutory offences allow certain facts to be proved without corroboration. The justice reforms that abolished the not proven verdict from 1 January 2026 did not remove corroboration, which still applies as at September 2026. The Procurator Fiscal must consider it when deciding whether to prosecute.

Checked as at 25 September 2026. General information only, not legal advice.