Conservative Pam Gosal has asked First Minister John Swinney to clamp down on domestic abuse.
by Bill Heaney
New figures released by Police Scotland figures show a 10 per cent increase in reported domestic abuse crimes over the past 12 months.
And Conservative MSP Pam Gosal has asked First Minister John Swinney what the SNP government is doing about it.
Mr Swinney told the Holyrood parliament: “Domestic abuse is abhorrent and we must end it. Multiple factors lie behind the statistic, including a greater willingness of victims to report crimes, the justice system taking them seriously and the pursuit of action against the perpetrators—in most cases, men.
“Our equally safe strategy sets out preventative actions to prevent such violence from occurring in the first place. Our annual funding of £21.6 million supports projects such as equally safe at school and mentors in violence prevention, as well as building the capability and capacity of services to do their vital work to support survivors.”
He said: “I believe that this Government has taken very significant action to ensure that the perpetrators of domestic violence are brought to justice.
“The increase in the number of crimes that are being reported and the number of prosecutions that are being successfully achieved is testament to the fact that the prevention of domestic abuse and the pursuit of those who perpetrate that heinous crime are taken deadly seriously within the Government, and the data demonstrates how that is being taken forward.
“I am at one with Pam Gosal in the determination to make sure that we tackle domestic violence.
“The Government has carefully considered the bill that Pam Gosal has introduced. We have concerns about how the proposals in the bill would work in practice and we do not believe that they are able to be supported because of their nature and the fact that they would not provide any additional emphasis or effectiveness in the domestic abuse arrangements.
“We have arrangements in place that allow multi-agency public protection arrangements and the disclosure scheme for domestic abuse in Scotland, which gives people the right to ask about the background of their partner and gives Police Scotland the power to tell people that they may be at risk, even where that information has not been asked for.
“Those are the very strong arrangements that we already have in place, and—regrettably—we do not believe that Pam Gosal’s bill would add to the effectiveness of those provisions. However, I reiterate our absolute determination to do all that we can to tackle domestic abuse as a heinous crime in our society.”
Meanwhile …
‘Scotland’s oldest domestic abuser’ walks free from court after choking wife
A pensioner believed to be Scotland’s oldest domestic abuser walked free from court today after he admitted choking his 84-year-old wife in their bedroom.
But 90-year-old Charles Morrison, right, was banned from any contact with his frail spouse Catherine who told a court she was in favour of a non-harassment order.
Morrison admitted a course of abusive conduct towards his wife over an 11-month period at their home in Condorrat, near Cumbernauld.
This included shoving her on to a bed, restraining her there, putting his hand around her neck and choking her, causing her breathing to be restricted.
Morrison also admitted acting aggressively towards his wife on other occasions, shouting, swearing, making derogatory remarks and pushing her on to a chair. The abuse happened between September 2023 and August the following year.
The couple had been together for many years but bail conditions have kept them apart since Morrison made an initial court appearance in October 2024.
The court heard that his wife has “significant health issues” and would have been unable to attend to give evidence had the case gone to trial before a jury.