Scotland’s top prosecutor urges abuse victims to speak out over festive period

Scotland’s most senior prosecutor has urged women suffering from abuse and coercive control to seek help and not suffer in silence over the festive period.

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC made a personal plea to the victims of such crimes – most of whom are women – after the latest figures showed a rise in domestic abuse incidents in Scotland.

Figures released this month by Police Scotland showed there were 20,271 reported crimes of domestic abuse in the six months to September this year – a rise of 11%.

The majority of this increase came from psychological offending, such as stalking and coercive control, with more than 80% of the reported crimes involving a male perpetrator.

Those figures come after prosecutors received 5,113 crime reports relating to domestic abuse over December 2023 and January 2024.

Of these, 310 were specifically under domestic abuse legislation passed in 2018 that criminalised coercive and controlling behaviour, which can see abusers isolate their victims from families and friends, monitor their behaviour, track them when they leave the home and control their finances.

Ms Bain said: “Domestic abuse damages the lives of victims, children and families. It blights Scottish society.”

She added that those impacted “must have the confidence and courage to speak out,” adding if they did this “they will be heard and supported” by staff at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

The Lord Advocate said: “As public prosecutors, we pledge to continue working towards a society where no one endures the misery of domestic abuse.

“We look forward to a time when no one need fear being at home with their partner over the holidays.”

However, she said that the “festive period can be a particularly dreadful time for those who experience domestic abuse”.

Ms Bain stated: “Friends and family members may be busy enjoying the season without ever knowing that for some people the suffering endures or worsens.

“The insidious nature of this crime means that it often happens behind closed doors, and we all spend a lot of time at home during winter months.

“For far too many women in Scotland, this is a frightening prospect. The 5,113 reports we received during the festive period last year is an indication of what is going on in our communities.

“We recognise that physical violence is only one form of domestic abuse. Our laws capture psychological, verbal, sexual and economic abuse and stalking as forms of coercive control.

“Some abusers may monitor or control where their victim goes, what they wear, who they see or communicate with. They may restrict and manipulate the life of a partner, eroding confidence and individuality, controlling through fear.”

But the Lord Advocate was clear, insisting: “Such behaviour is abhorrent. There is no excuse. The law does not tolerate it.”