The brothers' defence attorneys have also asked for a new trial.

by former Conservative Justice Secretary David Gauke "may come to little effect" if the probation service was underfunded.The union boss said he supported proposals to scrap short sentences for some offenders and toughen up community orders supervised by probation officers.

But he said probation staff were already "overworked" and suggested any "cost cutting" could increase pressure on the service."I'm struggling to see how a package of sentencing reform can work without the necessary support," Lawrence told the BBC.A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said a "crisis" in the justice system had "put a huge strain on the probation service".

"We are hiring 1,300 new probation officers, investing in technology to cut back on admin, and increasing focus on those offenders who pose the greatest risk to the public," the spokesperson said."This will ease pressure on the service, help cut reoffending and keep our streets safe."

Gauke is understood to be

as part of the sentencing review.One MSP told the BBC she received more than 200 emails the night before the vote. Another said he got about 1,600 over the week building up to it.

Labour's deputy leader Jackie Baillie told the chamber that she was still receiving correspondence moments before heading into the debate.Reciting some of the examples of deeply personal testimony she had been sent, she said that "all of these stories weigh heavily in our decision-making".

We also may never know how big of an impact the interventions from the likes of John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon had.While they didn't mount campaigns or try to nudge members into backing their position, the arguments of leadership figures could have had outsize influence in the minds of swithering backbenchers.