Domestic Abuse

Police and courts will gain powers to remove suspected abusers from victims’ homes and ban them from re‑entering under new legislation published today. The Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Bill, if passed by Parliament, will also allow social landlords to end or transfer a tenancy of a

Nearly 1,700 crimes were reported under Scotland's new domestic abuse laws in their first year in force, according to new figures. Recorded crime figures for 2019/20 show that 1,681 crimes were recorded under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, which was enacted on 1 April 2019.

Domestic abuse charges have reached their highest figure since 2015-16, the Crown Office has revealed. The report Domestic abuse and stalking charges in Scotland 2019-20 showed that there were 30,718 charges reported in 2019-20 related to domestic abuse. This is the highest number reported since 201

The police and courts could gain the power to remove suspected domestic abusers from victims' homes under proposed legislation. Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf announced that the Scottish government's Domestic Abuse Bill will be considered "within weeks" and if passed would let police ban suspected a

A 30,000-strong petition that calls for domestic abuse laws to provide safety for migrant women will be delivered to the UK government today.

Defendants will not be able to advance the legal defence that their partner was accidentally killed in a "sex game gone wrong" under new domestic abuse legislation being considered by MPs. Campaign group We Can't Consent To This has identified at least 60 women from the UK who have been killed in re

There has been a drop in crimes recorded under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, according to Scotland's chief statistician. In figures released today that analyse the impact of the coronavirus lockdown, a 13 per cent drop in domestic abuse crimes was reported as compared with April

Lockdown and social distancing measures may exacerbate the difficulties with corroborating domestic abuse, academics at the University of Aberdeen’s School of Law have warned. Dr Ilona Cairns and Dr Isla Callander – both of whom teach and research in the areas of crim

Police recorded 60,641 incidents of domestic abuse in 2018-19 – a two per cent rise on the previous year, new figures show. Levels of domestic abuse recorded by police in Scotland have remained relatively stable since 2011-12, with around 58,000 to 61,000 incidents each year.

Police and the courts will be given new powers to remove suspected domestic abusers from the homes of complainers or others at risk, the First Minister has announced. The Scottish government will introduce a bill to Parliament which will create new protective orders to keep a suspected perpetrator a

A man has pleaded guilty to offences under the new Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act, the first conviction since the new law was introduced on 1 April 2019. William James Murdoch, 43, of Glasgow, made his guilty plea at Glasgow Sheriff Court. He was sentenced yesterday.

New legislation that criminalises psychological domestic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour has come into force today. An awareness campaign to increase the public’s understanding of the legal nature of domestic abuse and to encourage victims of abuse to seek help has also been launc

Caroline Gillespie reflects on the development of the law on domestic abuse as new legislation comes into force today. Today, the law on domestic abuse changes in Scotland. The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 is now in force, creating a new crime of engaging in a course of abusive behaviour

A public education campaign aims to help a new law making psychological or emotional maltreatment a form of domestic abuse in Scotland. The Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 creates a new offence of “abusive behaviour in relation to a partner or ex-partner” where physical and sexual vio

A Scottish council is the first in Europe to give its employees who have suffered domestic abuse "safe leave". South Ayrshire Council's policy will give employees up to 10 days' paid leave to allow them to seek help and support.