Domestic Abuse

A private member’s bill proposing the establishment of a domestic abuse register similar to the sex offenders register has gained wide cross-party support from 41 MSPs. The Domestic Abuse (Prevention) (Scotland) Bill introduced by Pam Gosal, a Conservative MSP for West Scotland, will now move

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain has pledged her ongoing support for victims and children suffering through domestic abuse and urged them to seek both safety and justice. Ms Bain renewed the commitment of prosecutors to use the full force of the law against perpetrators in pursuit of a safer Scotland for

The introduction of the 2018 Domestic Abuse Act has been an important step but more action is needed in implementing it and tackling domestic abuse, the Criminal Justice Committee has said. As part of post-legislative scrutiny, the committee has been reviewing the impact of the Act and how effective

The majority of social landlords in Scotland have not put in place adequate policies to support survivors of domestic abuse facing homelessness, a new report by Scottish Women’s Aid (SWA) and CIH Scotland has found. In 2018/19, 73 of the 173 social landlords in Scotland (42 per cent) sign

Domestic abuse allegations and convictions of parents who have perpetrated abuse are not being adequately captured by Scottish civil courts during child contact hearings, a new study by the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh Napier claims. Researchers discovered family lawyers were heavily relian

Researchers are to study police files of domestic abuse murders in Scotland in a bid to prevent future deaths. Academics from Glasgow Caledonian University will analyse cases to identify patterns of behaviour and highlight safeguarding opportunities.

Scotland’s domestic abuse legislation better reflects victims’ experiences, according to new research. By recognising abuse as a pattern of behaviour, the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 closer matches victims’ accounts of psychological and physical harm over time, according to

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC today has renewed her commitment to tackling the crime of domestic abuse effectively. She said that the festive holiday period can be particularly difficult for women living in fear of a partner or ex-partner.

The Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, has renewed her pledge to tackle the crimes of domestic abuse and stalking with robust prosecution. She made the commitment as new figures were released, showing a 1.9 percent decrease in the number of charges reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fisca

A private member's bill proposing the establishment of a domestic abuse register similar to the sex offenders register has gone out for consultation. The proposed Domestic Abuse (Prevention) (Scotland) Bill, put forward by Scottish Conservative MSP Pam Gosal, would require those placed on the domest

A man convicted of two charges of abusive behaviour of a partner under separate statutes has lost an appeal against both conviction and sentence in respect of the more serious charge in the High Court of Justiciary.  CA was convicted of contraventions of section 1 of the Domestic Abuse (Scotlan

The Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain QC, has emphasised the commitment Scotland’s prosecutors have to ensuring "victims’ voices and experiences are at the heart of the criminal justice system" as she addressed an international conference in London. In a speech at the Heads of Prosecution Agen

Specialist online courts should be established to tackle domestic abuse cases, it has been recommended. The Virtual Trials National Project board has issued its report on the piloting of virtual summary trials. The board, led by Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle of Grampian, Highland and Islands, suggest

New measures targeted directly at keeping women and girls safer have been added to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill the government has announced. Under the changes, victims of domestic abuse will be allowed more time to report incidents of common assault or battery against them. Cu

The police recorded 65,251 incidents of domestic abuse in 2020-21, an increase of four per cent compared to the previous year. This is the fifth year in a row this figure has shown an increase.