http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/70/section/12Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1968An Act to amend the law of Scotland relating to succession to the property of deceased persons in cases of illegitimacy; to confer on illegitimate persons in Scotland to legitim out of their deceased parents’ estates; to amend the law of Scotland with respect to the construction of certain provisions of the Succession (Scotland) Act 1964 to tenancies of crofts; to amend the law of evidence in civil proceedings in Scotland; to re-enact, with amendments, the provisions of certain enactments relating to the duration of liferents in Scotland; to amend section 15(1) of the Succession (Scotland) Act 1964; further to amend the law of Scotland relating to prorogation of the jurisdiction of the sheriff court; to remove a restriction on the extent of land in Scotland which a trade union may purchase or take upon lease and otherwise deal with; and for purposes connected with the maters aforesaid.1974-12-31texttext/xmlenStatute Law Database2025-06-10Expert Participation2025-04-06 Part III121In an action for defamation in which the question whether the pursuer did or did not commit a criminal offence is relevant to an issue arising in the action, proof that, at the time when that issue falls to be determined, he stands convicted of that offence shall be conclusive evidence that he committed that offence ; and his conviction thereof shall be admissible in evidence accordingly.2In any such action as aforesaid in which by virtue of this section the pursuer is proved to have been convicted of an offence, the contents of any document which is admissable as evidence of the conviction, and the contents of the complaint, information, indictment or charge-sheet on which he was convicted, shall, without prejudice to the reception of any other admissable evidence for the purpose of identifying the facts which constituted that offence, be admissable in evidence for the purpose of identifying those facts.2AIn the case of an action for defamation in which there is more than one pursuer—athe references in subsections (1) and (2) above to the pursuer shall be construed as references to any of the pursuers, andbproof that any of the pursuers stands convicted of an offence shall be conclusive evidence that he committed that offence so far as that fact is relevant to any issue arising in relation to his cause of action or that of any other pursuer.3For the purposes of this section a person shall be taken to stand convicted of an offence if but only if there subsists against him a conviction of that offence by or before a court in the United Kingdom or (in the case of a service offence) a conviction (anywhere) of that service offence.4Subsections (4) to (6) of section 10 of this Act shall apply for the purposes of this section as they apply for the purposes of that section, but as if in the said section (4) the reference to subsection (2) were a reference to subsection (2) of this section.5The foregoing provisions of this section shall apply for the purposes of any action begun after the coming into operation of this section, whenever the cause of action arose, but shall not apply for the purposes of any action begun before such commencement or any appeal or other proceedings arising out of any such action.Words in S. 12(1)(2) substituted (4.9.1996) by 1996 c. 31, ss. 12(2), 19 (with s. 20(2))S. 12(2A) inserted (4.9.1996) by 1996 c. 31, ss. 12(2), 19 (with s. 20(2))Words in s. 12(3) substituted (31.10.2009) by The Armed Forces Act 2006 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/2054), art. 2, Sch. 1 para. 6(6)