Crank's latest bid to decriminalise incest is thrown out

Launched by an Australian national - whose previous two bids to decriminalise incest were summarily quashed - the latest attempt was also binned after cursory discussion.

But the episode has highlighted the fact that anyone can bring a petition before the Scottish Parliament - and they don’t have to live in Scotland.

Mr MacDonald said: “I chaired the Public Petitions Committee in Parliament yesterday, which unanimously dismissed the vexatious petition calling for the decriminalisation of incest.

“Thankfully we don’t get vexatious petitions very often, and if we do they seldom reach the committee stage.

“However in this case the procedure and rules meant this one had to be tabled on the agenda.

“We closed this extremely unpalatable petition down in just over one minute and hope the petitioner, on his third attempt, will now give up and move on”.