THE Scottish Parliament will tomorrow debate a petition calling for the creation of a new criminal offence to cover cases where domestic abuse…
THE Scottish Parliament will tomorrow debate a petition calling for the creation of a new criminal offence to cover cases where domestic abuse causes the loss of a pregnancy.
An abuser such Stephen Ramsay, who violently attacked his pregnant partner in Glenrothes, Fife, in 2019, not only causing her extensive and lasting injury, but also causing the stillbirth of their 32-week twins, would undoubtedly have been convicted of child destruction as well as offences against his partner had the attack taken place anywhere else in the UK.
Disappointingly, the Justice Secretary, Angela Constance , has been reluctant to support the committee’s recommendation. Despite recognising that the issue the petition addresses is “tragic” and one that “no woman should have to endure”, Constance raises three reasons why she is “not persuaded at this time that we should introduce a new offence”. All of these can be answered easily.
In any case, we don’t take this approach where other crimes are concerned. The difficulty of proving rape is well known, for example , but we don’t conclude that the crime of rape should not exist. It is not simply a question of whether we can already hand out long sentences to men who cause this kind of harm. What victims such as the petitioner are seeking is for Scots law to name and acknowledge the entirety of what has been done to them, as the law can do elsewhere in the UK. Finally, the Justice Secretary worries about what she calls “unintended consequences” for women if a new crime were to be created.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Top Scottish Tories called out after refusal to go on BBC Sunday ShowSCOTTISH Secretary Alister Jack and Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross both refused to appear on the
Read more »
New Scottish Parliament constituencies – see all the proposed changesTHE new proposed constituencies for Scottish Parliament elections have been published – and there are some major changes across the country ...
Read more »
Proposed new Scottish Parliament constituencies publishedPROVISIONAL new Scottish Parliament constituencies have been published after thousands of objections to the previous proposals ...
Read more »
It is the 2026 Scottish Parliament election that will decide futureI HOPE all SNP voters just like me will have noticed that the Greens will not have a pact
Read more »
What happens when you lose a no confidence vote in the Scottish Parliament?SCOTTISH Labour have announced they will be lodging a vote of no confidence in the Scottish Government.
Read more »
Activists set up Gaza solidarity camp at Scottish Parliament with demandsGaza Solidarity Camp Scotland accused the UK and Scottish governments of “complicity” in the “ongoing genocide”.
Read more »