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Claims over Shetlands postponed | |
(about 11 hours later) | |
An attempt to persuade Lerwick Sheriff Court that the Shetland Islands are not legally part of Scotland has been postponed until next month. | |
Stuart Hill, 65, planned to argue that the islands were only passed from Denmark to the Scots crown in the 15th-century as security for a debt. | |
Mr Hill is the defender in a civil action but will argue that Scots law has no jurisdiction over him. | |
He believes Shetland was only on long-term loan to Scotland. | |
Mr Hill, originally from Essex, has lived in Shetland since his boat capsized in 2001 while he was trying to circumnavigate the British Isles, earning him the nickname Captain Calamity. | |
He said his research had led him to the "inescapable conclusion" that at no point in Shetland's history did the Crown acquire ownership of the islands. | He said his research had led him to the "inescapable conclusion" that at no point in Shetland's history did the Crown acquire ownership of the islands. |
Mr Hill intends to argue that when he appears as the defender in a civil action being brought by a local accountancy firm. | |
He will claim that the court - indeed the whole of Scots law - has no jurisdiction over him. | He will claim that the court - indeed the whole of Scots law - has no jurisdiction over him. |
Mr Hill wants to redefine Shetland's relationships with Scotland, the UK, and the European Union. | Mr Hill wants to redefine Shetland's relationships with Scotland, the UK, and the European Union. |
Historians have traditionally accepted that Scotland did legally annex the islands, along with Orkney. | Historians have traditionally accepted that Scotland did legally annex the islands, along with Orkney. |