Cutbacks and a lack of resources are punishing victims who are having to wait longer for cases of domestic and sexual abuse to be concluded due to a lack of spending according to critics.
Glasgow Sheriff Court is under strain from the sheer number of domestic abuse cases coming through the courts. The ‘busiest court in Europe’ currently has a backlog of 1300 domestic abuse cases, with victims waiting up to 19 weeks to have their case heard. The Scottish Court Service however, belives this to be an improvement – it was previously 22 weeks.Domestic abuse cases currently represent around 25 percent of all summary cases coming through the court an din order to relieve the mounting number of cases, additional ‘daily trial courts’ will be held by senior prosecutors next month.
The law which will allow police to disclose details as to whether an individual has a history of violence known as “Clare’s Law’ is to be introduced in Aberdeen and Ayrshire.
New statistics published this week indicate that 60,080 domestic abuse incidents were reported to the police across the country in 2012-13. Overall, the number of domestic abuse incidents resulting in a report being submitted to the procurator fiscal have increased significantly from 2003-2004, where only 51% of cases were reported to the fiscal, to 78% last year.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (CoPFS) has appointed a new specialist prosecutor to co-ordinate the prosecution service's response to domestic abuse cases from across Scotland.
