Accused Scot

What About the Two Million Men? We know we raise this issue regularly, but we make absolutely no apologies for doing so. Joy Morrissey MP has highlighted the latest figures showing that 3.2 million women experienced domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking last year. These are deeply concerning figures, and we absolutely want to see more done to protect women and girls. But what about the 2.1 million male victims? We don't dispute that women experience these offences at a higher rate than men. The latest ONS estimates suggest approximately 60% of victims are female and 40% are male. That's a significant difference, but it's hardly 99% to 1%. Yet from the way these issues are so often presented by politicians and the media, anyone could be forgiven for believing that male victims barely exist. And that's precisely our concern. When approximately four in every ten victims are male, surely they deserve more than complete silence? There is also an important qualification concerning the latest statistics. While offending may have increased, the ONS has repeatedly cautioned that changes to its survey questions and methodology may have contributed to the apparent rise. It is too early to draw firm conclusions about the extent of any underlying increase. The article briefly acknowledges this, but that caution is largely lost beneath headlines suggesting an escalating epidemic. We should take these figures seriously without presenting statistical uncertainty as established fact. More importantly, we need to recognise the consequences of repeatedly excluding male victims from the national conversation. How can we encourage men to report domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking when they rarely hear politicians acknowledging that these crimes happen to them? Protecting women and girls and recognising male victims are not competing objectives. We should be doing both. So we'll ask the same question we've asked many times before. Why is our national ambition to halve violence against women and girls rather than halve violence against everyone? When the figures suggest a 60/40 split, why does the public conversation so often sound like it's 99/1? Every victim deserves to be seen, heard and protected. #JusticeLog #MaleVictims #DomesticAbuse

How Many More Warnings Before the Scottish Government Takes Action? Thomas Ross KC has raised concerns about potential miscarriages of justice. Roddy Dunlop KC, Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, has warned about the erosion of corroboration. The Faculty of Advocates itself has previously expressed concerns about removing established safeguards. Now Douglas McConnell, a criminal defence solicitor with more than 20 years' experience, has added his voice, warning that Scotland's criminal justice system may be becoming less effective at protecting innocent people from wrongful conviction. These are experienced legal professionals, not simply disgruntled defendants. Perhaps each individual reform can be justified on its own merits. But Justice Log keeps warning about the overall direction of travel. When safeguards are weakened or removed, one after another, we need to consider their cumulative effect. Supporting complainers and protecting vulnerable witnesses is important. But so is protecting innocent people from wrongful conviction. At what point do we stop looking at these reforms individually and start asking whether Scotland's criminal justice system is becoming increasingly vulnerable to miscarriages of justice? #ScottishJustice #MiscarriagesOfJustice #FairTrials