Scotland's most senior prosecutor has urged women suffering from abuse and coercive control to seek help and not suffer in silence over the Christmas period.
Scotland 's most senior prosecutor has urged women suffering from abuse and coercive control to seek help and not suffer in silence over the Christmas period. Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC made a personal plea to the victims of such crimes - most of whom are women - after the latest figures showed a spike in domestic abuse incidents in Scotland .
Figures released this month by police showed there were 20,271 reported crimes of domestic abuse in the six months to September this year - a rise of 11 per cent. . The majority of this increase came from psychological offending, such as stalking and coercive control offences, with more than 80 per cent of the reported crimes involving a male perpetrator. Those figures come after prosecutors received 5,113 crime reports relating to domestic abuse over the period from December 2023 and January 2024. Of these, 310 were specifically under domestic abuse legislation passed in 2018 that criminalised coercive and controlling behaviour, which can see abusers isolate their victims from families and friends, monitor their behaviour, track them when they leave the home and also control their finances. Ms Bain said: 'Domestic abuse damages the lives of victims, children and families. It blights Scottish society.' She added that those impacted 'must have the confidence and courage to speak out,' adding if they did this 'they will be heard and supported' by staff at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). The Lord Advocate said: 'As public prosecutors, we pledge to continue working towards a society where no one endures the misery of domestic abuse. 'We look forward to a time when no one need fear being at home with their partner over the holidays.' However, she said that the 'festive period can be a particularly dreadful time for those who experience domestic abuse
DOMESTIC ABUSE COERCIVE CONTROL SCOTLAND CHRISTMAS VICTIMS
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