Murderer sentencing to be televised

The sentencing of a man convicted of murdering a missing woman whose body has never been found will be filmed for TV in a legal first.

Permission has been granted to film the judge's sentencing of David Gilroy for the murder of Suzanne Pilley at the High Court in Edinburgh next week.

The camera will focus on judge Lord Bracadale and no other person will feature in the footage except the macer and the clerk, the Judiciary of Scotland said.

Lord Hamilton, the Lord President and Lord Justice General, approved the application from broadcaster STV.

Gilroy, from Edinburgh, was found guilty of murdering Ms Pilley, 38, on March 15. He was also found guilty of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by concealing the office worker's body and driving it to various locations in Scotland in the boot of his car.

Filming will start when his defence lawyer finishes the plea in mitigation at the sentencing hearing on April 18.

Gilroy, 49, will not be filmed.

An STV spokeswoman said: "This is the first time in the UK that TV news cameras have been allowed to film a sentencing in a criminal court, and we're pleased that STV has been instrumental in making that happen.

"This development will allow viewers a rare insight into the closing stages of what has been a very controversial murder case."

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: "By televising this, people like Gilroy who have been found guilty of such a shocking crime will face a day of reckoning. The public will be able to see justice being done."