The editor of the Times and Sunday Times in Scotland has been suspended and charged over “indecent online communications”.
News UK, which owns the newspapers, announced that David McCann had been suspended after he was “made the subject of a criminal investigation unrelated to his work”.
Police Scotland said the 43-year-old was arrested after officers searched a property in Edinburgh on 25 November.
McCann appeared at Edinburgh sheriff court the next day but made no plea. He was remanded in custody overnight and appeared in court on 27 November, charged with “threatening or abusive behaviour” under section 38(1) of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, and granted bail.
McCann joined the Times in 2018 as news editor, before becoming deputy editor the following year. He succeeded Magnus Llewellin as Scottish editor in August.
He previously worked as assistant editor and head of news at the Herald, and assistant news editor at the Daily Record. He has also held various roles at the Edinburgh Evening News.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “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 News UK spokesperson 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.”
• This article was amended on 12 December 2025 because an earlier version used an image of a location no longer occupied as offices by the Times and Sunday Times in Glasgow.
