The payout to the family of Lamara Bell has taken place — at long last. David Nellaney, the solicitor for the family, with proper professional restraint, described the delay on the part of Police Scotland as ”unfortunate”. Rather the whole thing, to me, is a disgrace. The deaths of Lamara Bell and John Yuill took place in July 2015. Despite the police being altered, the couple lay undiscovered for three days, as the call was not logged.

It is not as if it would have been difficult to find them had someone actually followed up on the report given to Police Scotland. That is a disgrace. The Times reported on 14 July 2015 that Police Scotland were facing court proceedings and that Sir Stephen House, the then chief constable, was facing “mounting pressure to resign”. He did indeed resign, but not long after secured a “nice little earner” with the Met as a deputy commissioner.