Call for expansion of domestic abuse courts

CAMPAIGNERS working with victims of domestic abuse last night urged the Scottish Executive to open courts specialising in prosecuting such cases throughout the country.

They spoke out after it was revealed yesterday that Scotland's only domestic abuse court had convicted more than 1,000 men and women since it was established two years ago.

Although the vast majority of the 1,248 cases heard at the Glasgow court involved crimes against women, the alleged victims in 45 cases were men.

The Executive set up the domestic abuse court as a two-year pilot project in 2004.

Mary Lockhart, of Scottish Women's Aid, said: "We'd like to see more of these courts perhaps at first in the cities and then, once they were established, in more rural areas."

The success of the court, which is based at Glasgow Sheriff Court and deals with incidents of domestic abuse reported in the south side of the city, has made it likely that the project will be extended.

Also likely to be rolled out throughout Scotland is ASSIST, a service set up to support people before, during and after cases go to court.

Ms Lockhart said: "We think there are many helpful aspects to this court and it has brought many benefits, not least in speeding up the time it takes to bring domestic abuse cases to court."

Ms Lockhart, who said Scottish Women's Aid recognised that men could also be the victims of domestic abuse, added: "A court like this is showing that justice is being done and society does take domestic abuse seriously."

Between October 2004 and September 2006, the domestic abuse court dealt with 1,248 new cases.

There were 1,053 convictions, with 229 pleading guilty when the case first came to court, 418 admitting the offence at the intermediate diet, 304 pleading guilty on the day of the trial and 102 people found guilty. That means 84.37 per cent of the cases resulted in a guilty conviction.

Malcolm Chisholm, the communities minister, said: "This pilot domestic abuse court is an important part of the measures in place to tackle domestic abuse here in Scotland.

"This specialised court reminds us all that domestic abuse is a crime. Domestic abuse must not be, and will not be, tolerated.

"More incidents are being reported to the police and perpetrators, rightly, need to be held to account."

He added: "Those experiencing domestic abuse and going through the court process need support and the ASSIST service has played a very significant role.

The pilot appears to have made a difference to the lives of those involved - such as speeding up the time it takes for cases to come to court.

"It is being fully evaluated and we will continue to consider ways in which we can support those taking this often traumatic, brave step to seeking justice."

Meanwhile, the National Society for Children and Family Contact said yesterday that its helpline was now open to men who are suffering as a result of psychological abuse or physical domestic violence. The number to call is 08707 668596.