Scotland's most senior judge, Lord Pentland, ruled that footage of Peter Murrell reacting to his jail sentence could not be broadcast, amid concerns that clips could be exploited on social media and turned into mocking memes or GIFs. The decision came in the high-profile case against Murrell, the former SNP chief executive and estranged husband of ex-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whose sentencing has drawn intense public and media interest.

The trial judge had argued that filming Murrell's reaction would be "intrusive" and risked extensive misuse online, a view Lord Pentland upheld in deeming any broadcast "inappropriate". Murrell was sentenced to five years and three months, and Sturgeon has publicly distanced herself from him, saying she has "washed her hands" of her estranged husband following the case.