Lord advocate hails domestic abuser’s landmark conviction for culpable homicide
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Pictured: Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain addressing the International Women's Day event at Parliament Hall yesterday evening.
Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain has spoken of her “profound hope” that a man’s landmark conviction for culpable homicide following his wife’s suicide will deepen understanding of domestic abuse in Scotland.
Dorothy Bain KC yesterday addressed around 200 people at an event in Parliament Hall organised by Women in Law Scotland and Women at the Bar to mark the 115th anniversary of International Women’s Day this Sunday.
Lee Milne, 39, was found guilty on Monday of culpable homicide and domestic abuse offences following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
His wife, Kimberly Bruce or Milne, 28, died after she jumped from an overpass and was struck by a vehicle on the A90 Kingsway West on 27 July 2023.
Ms Bain highlighted the case among a number of examples of positive developments in how the criminal justice system understands and responds to domestic abuse and coercive control.
“It is my profound hope that the outcome in this tragic case will come to deepen our understanding of the devastating impact that prolonged emotional and physical harm can have on a victim’s mental state,” she said.
“This case demonstrates clearly that emotional and psychological abuse, including coercive control … can be every bit as harmful and dangerous as physical violence.”
She noted that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales had brought three similar prosecutions in the past two decades, but had only successfully secured a conviction in the case of Kiena Dawes in January 2025.
The CPS “lost two of these cases” in spite of “overwhelming evidence” of the impact of domestic abuse on victims’ mental state and decision-making, she said.
She continued: “Why does this matter on International Women’s Day? The domestic violence revolution is one of the most significant achievements of the women’s movement.
“It represents the validation of women’s experiences that were once dismissed, the transformation of laws that ignored reality – recognition that violence in intimate relationships is a societal failure, not a private issue.
“It has reshaped prosecutorial policy, judicial understanding, legislative frameworks and, most importantly, public consciousness.”
The sold-out event raised £1,000 for Scottish Women’s Aid and the Tumbling Lassie Committee.
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