President of the Glasgow Bar Association Sara Mathieson has launched a probe after a man caught pleasuring himself sexually close to a school was allowed to pay a fiscal fine under new measures recently introduced by the Government which sees offenders pay fines to escape going to court.

Mathieson's opposition to the new fiscal fines system introduced by Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill is being backed by Conservative justice spokesman Bill Aitken, who has branded Scotland  as "a soft touch."

Speaking of the the case were the sex offender was let off with a fine Mathieson said: "I am horrified. The ultimate fear is Scotland becomes a place where crime isn't taken seriously and offenders are attracted here because they can do things  here and not be punished.

"The legal profession is very concerned about the public not being protected. It is not helping society and it is not helping offenders. It is purely driven by budgetary considerations."

The new system sees offenders receive a letter and fine through the post. If they pay that fine they are effectively admitting their guilt yet escape a court appearance. However if the fine is not paid then they will be made to appear in court. The new system aims to free up court time, but has met many detractors.