A sheriff who was charged amid claims of sexual misconduct has been told he will no longer face criminal proceedings.
Jack Brown, who sits in court in Aberdeen, was suspended from his role in January after an allegation about his behaviour was passed to police.
He was arrested and charged several days later.
At the time, police confirmed they were investigating the accusation and had been compiling a report to be passed to the procurator fiscal.
But last night the Crown Office confirmed that the charge faced by the 59-year-old had now been dropped.
A spokesman said the decision followed a “full and careful consideration” of the facts of the case.
“The Procurator Fiscal deals with every case on its own individual facts and circumstances and will take action where there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to do so,” he added.
“Following full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of this case, Crown Counsel instructed that there should be no criminal proceedings at this time.”
The sexual misconduct allegation was first levied against the sheriff in November.
It is understood this had been made by a female employee, and was then reported to police by one of her managers.
Following Sheriff Brown’s suspension, a commission was set up to look into the case.
It was being presided over by Lord Bracadale, who was the senior prosecutor in the 2000 Lockerbie trial at the Scottish Court in the Netherlands.
Prior to his suspension, Sheriff Brown had been working at the High Court in Aberdeen.
He was appointed to the city’s sheriffdom in 2016.
After graduating from Dundee University, he trained with Dundee City Council then work at J & J hunter before becoming a partner at Shaw & Co.
He set up his own practice, Jack Brown & Co, in Dundee in 1996.
He was appointed as a solicitor advocate in 2003 and has been a sheriff since 2005.
A Judicial Office for Scotland woman said: “The suspension from office of Sheriff Jack Brown presently remains in place.”