By Bill Heaney
The Scottish Government have been urged to change the law which allows secretive plea deals to be struck between the Crown Office and criminals which helps them shorten their sentence.
Minister for Justice and Home Affairs Angela Constance
Victims are “kept in the dark” about the bargaining which can see some offenders plead guilty to certain aspects of their offence while getting some of their alleged crimes deleted.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance, right, has the opportunity to amend the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill to ensure that victims are always told by prosecutors when plea deals are made with defence lawyers. Currently, this is kept under wraps until it comes out in court.
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay, left, has written to her to demand an end to charges being “inexplicably and secretly dropped by prosecutors.”A group of domestic abuse victims have backed these calls, claiming that the current approach is “insulting” to those who have been impacted by crime.
The reform would see them informed about plans to drop some of the charges so they are better prepared when they go to court.
Mr Findlay said: “While plea deals have long been a necessary feature of the justice system, this is about basic transparency and respect for crime victims. Those who have suffered from crime are routinely kept in the dark when these secretive deals are struck between prosecutors and defence lawyers.
“This important campaign will begin the process of fixing the SNP’s justice system and its constant pandering to the interests of criminals.”
His demands are being backed by a group of five domestic abuse victims who appeared on the BBC Scotland documentary Surviving Domestic Abuse.
Liz Shanks, 36, who suffered a three-year campaign of abuse at the hands of her then partner Christopher Forrest said: “After the BBC documentary me and the other women that featured in it all spoke with one another and found out we had the same failings across the board, including plea deals.
“We weren’t given any consultation to the plea bargain, we were just told a plea bargain had been accepted by the perpetrator or abusers. It was insulting I was not even consulted and given the ‘opportunity to have a say.”
She criticised Ms Constance for urging MSPs to reject some of the group’s proposals at stage two, with the final stage set to be voted on later this year. She went on: “We feel like we are not being listened to. You should be listening to the people who can share their experiences and ‘actually learn from them.
Top of page picture: Dumbarton Sheriff Court in Church Street.