Former area prosecutor for Grampian Morag McLaughlin has been appointed to ther post of Area Procurator Fiscal for Lothian and Borders, replacing Lesley Thomson who was appointed to the Glasgow post last month.

Ms McLaughlin will now lead a team of 180 prosecution staff serving local communities across Lothian and Borders.

"I am delighted to be returning to Edinburgh and to have this opportunity to contribute to change and improvement across the Lothian and Borders Area," she said.

"As prosecutors, acting in the public interest is one of our key principles, and so getting to know and understand the diverse communities here in Lothian and Borders will be high on my agenda. I look forward to working closely with Lothian and Borders Police, Court Service colleagues and others to make sure that the criminal justice system here is the best that it can be, and has the confidence of local communities."

"There is a strong team here, which is already performing very well. I want to build on the achievements of my predecessor, focussing on innovation and quality improvement, to ensure that we keep improving our service to victims and witnesses. 

Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini said that McLaughlin was a highly experienced and respected prosecutor who would bring drive and enthusiasm to the task of leading the Lothian and Borders Area.

"I know that Morag shares my commitment to delivering a responsive, problem solving prosecution service, which listens to and engages with the communities that it serves," she added.

McLaughlin graduated from Glasgow University with LLB (hons) in 1986, and a Diploma in Legal Practice the following year. She has worked within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for 18 years, beginning as a Procurator Fiscal Depute in Paisley in 1990, and then spending time in the policy unit at Crown Office, before being appointed as Legal Assistant to the Crown Agent in 1999. Morag headed the High Court Units in Glasgow and Crown Office in 2001/02 and was then Head of Policy in the Service for 3 years until September 2005, when she was appointed as Area Procurator Fiscal for Grampian.