Liam McArthur

The latest criminal justice monitoring data from the Scottish government show that, in January, the figure was 44 per cent; in February it was 40 per cent and in March it stood at 39 per cent, making the year so far the worst on record.

Yesterday, members of the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) announced they will no longer accept new instructions in summary cases where a contravention of section one of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 is alleged.

Section one of the Act, which introduced a new offence to tackle coercive control, covers abusive behaviour towards a partner or ex-partner.

The action will take effect from 3 May.

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said: “These figures will mean more sleepless nights for victims of crime.

“The pandemic has had an enormously disruptive impact on our justice system. But this is much worse than it needed to be because a backlog was building for years before the pandemic struck.

“Long delays mean that memories fade and victims lose faith, making it harder to ensure that justice is done.

“Both the police and the courts system are being undermined by a Scottish government which refuses to get serious about the problem.”