Call to include attacks on gay and disabled in hate crime laws

Published on Wednesday 18 March 2009 23:24

EXTENDING hate crime legislation to include attacks on gay and disabled people will send a clear message that such crimes should not be tolerated, Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, told MSPs yesterday.

Everyone is entitled to the full protection of the law regardless of sexuality or disability, Mr MacAskill said.

MSPs backed a bill brought forward by the Green MSP Patrick Harvie to make it an aggravating factor if victims of crime are targeted because of their sexual orientation or disability.

The proposal will not automatically create a tougher penalty, but courts would have to take such motivation into account when sentencing.

Racial and religiously motivated crimes are already covered in this way.

Mr Harvie said hate crimes against gay and disabled people were a "significant" problem. "Disabled people are four times more likely to be violently assaulted than non-disabled people," he told MSPs.

"Visually-impaired people are four times more likely to be verbally and physically abused than sighted people. People with mental health issues are 11 times more likely to be victimised."

But he said that many people were not reporting such attacks. "These crimes can have a profound impact on quality of life," he continued.

"Even aside from the very serious violent offences, persistent low-level harassment, intimidation, vandalism, threats – these kind of experiences can be deeply demoralising."

They represent a "level of harm which this parliament should not ignore".