Domestic abuse court to be piloted at Livingston
From: Crown Office
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service News Release
15 February 2012
DOMESTIC ABUSE COURT TO BE PILOTED AT LIVINGSTON
A dedicated domestic abuse court is to be piloted at Livingston Sheriff Court from Thursday (16 Feb). The new multi-agency pilot will improve the service domestic abuse victims in West Lothian receive from the criminal justice system.
The pilot reflects the Scottish Government's commitment to tackling the issue of domestic abuse, and learns from the innovative and successful approach adopted in Glasgow. The concept and design of the court is a result of close multi agency co-operation and co-ordination.
The court brings together a number of agencies who currently work with those affected by domestic abuse: the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), Lothian and Borders Police, Scottish Court Service, Victim Support Scotland's Witness Service and West Lothian Council's Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Team (DASAT).
The pilot seeks to commence trials within 8 to 10 weeks of an accused's first appearance in court. This swift response will be coupled with the offer of support to victims by a DASAT worker who will provide the link between the victim and the criminal court process. All the cases will be dealt with in court by designated prosecutors and sheriffs to build expertise, consistency and quality of response.
Graeme Jessop, Interim District Procurator Fiscal at Livingston, said:
"We all recognise domestic abuse as having a significant impact on victims, their families and our society. We know that many instances of domestic abuse are not reported to the police but also recognise the difficulties victims encounter in having the strength to come to court often after years of abuse.
"This pilot allows the prosecution and our victim and information service (VIA) to continue to show its strong response to this type of crime and to build better a better service to victims through strong multi-agency specialist working."
Detective Inspector Matt Paden of Lothian and Borders Police Public Protection Unit, who has been tasked with developing the police response at scenes of crime, and the invaluable work by the Domestic Abuse Liaison Officers, said:
"Our priorities in responding to domestic abuse are to protect the lives of both adults and children who are at risk as a result of crimes of this nature.
"We robustly investigate all reports of domestic abuse and identify repeat victims for crime prevention and risk aversion action.
"Within West Lothian we already work closely with partner agencies to provide support and information to victims of domestic abuse and refer them to Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Team when appropriate.
"This multi-agency approach is geared towards preventing and reducing domestic abuse. The introduction of the first Domestic Abuse Court in West Lothian will undoubtedly enhance this process."
Susan Lawson, from DASAT, said:
"We welcome the introduction of the dedicated Domestic Abuse Court at Livingston.
"In our experience, womens' perceptions of the criminal justice system, rightly or wrongly, are that domestic abuse is not always taken seriously and this is often a factor in decisions to withdraw complaints.
"The introduction of the Domestic Abuse Court quite clearly demonstrates to victims and perpetrators that domestic abuse is indeed considered serious.
"As a result, this may lead to an increase in the number of victims coming forward and consequently an increase in the number of convictions.
"This should inevitably lead to victims in our community getting the justice they so rightly deserve for this henious crime.
"The Domestic and Sexual Assault Team are delighted to be part of this multi agency approach to support victims of domestic abuse."
Notes to editors
1. The pilot court expects to deal with approximately 20-30 cases of domestic abuse a month, with a dedicated trial court every second Thursday in Livingston Sheriff Court. The trials court will deal with all disputed allegations of domestic abuse reported to the Procurator Fiscal in Livingston since 1 January 2012.
2. The pilot will initially run for 12 months
3. The West Lothian Sheriffs have increased their awareness of Domestic Abuse issues through recent awareness sessions.
4. Two dedicated Procurator Fiscal Deputes will initially conduct the Thursday court and oversee the marking and decision making, with further oversight from the District PF. The Victim Information & Advice service will also play a vital role.
5. Trials should be fixed approximately eight weeks after first calling where the accused is on bail. The current average is 14-16 weeks between first calling and trial.
6. The pilot follows a report prepared by Sheriff Mackie who chaired a group set up by the Sheriff Principal in Lothian & Borders with the aim of implementing the Government Toolkit on specialist approach.
7. The implementation group consisted of representatives of Lothian and Borders Police, Livingston Procurator Fiscal's office, a local Sheriff, the Sheriff Clerk, West Lothian Council, West Lothian Social Work Department, West Lothian Criminal Bar Association, Victim Support, Witness Service.
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