A Scottish newspaper editor has been suspended after an arrest and charge in connection with ‘indecent online communications’ as a ‘criminal investigation’ has been launched
A leading Scottish newspaper editor has been suspended after he was arrested and charged in connection with “indecent online communications”.
David McCann, the editor of The Times and The Sunday Times in Scotland, was charged after police officers “executed a search warrant at a property in the Edinburgh area” on November 25. McCann has been suspended from the business while he is subject to a “criminal investigation unrelated to his work”, a spokesperson for Times owner News UK said.
It is understood that he made no plea after appearing in Edinburgh Sheriff court on November 26, was remanded in custody overnight, and was released on bail after appearing in court again on November 27.
McCann joined The Times in 2018 as news editor, rising to deputy editor the following year. In July this year, he formally took over as editor of The Times in Scotland after Magnus Llewellin’s exit.A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “On Tuesday, 25 November, 2025, officers executed a search warrant at a property in the Edinburgh area.
“A 43-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with indecent online communications.”
A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said: “A standard prosecution report has been received by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service from Police Scotland in relation to a 43-year-old man.”
A spokesperson for News UK said: “We have been informed that David McCann, editor of The Times and The Sunday Times in Scotland, has been made the subject of a criminal investigation unrelated to his work.
“He has been suspended from the business.
“We will not be making any further comment at this time.”
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