Many have questioned the priorities of our justice system when sentencing thugs who abuse their partners.
Too many women who suffered at the hands of violent men told us their attackers are back on the streets within months of their convictions. It’s right the Scottish Sentencing Council will consult the public on sentencing guidelines to help judges deal with cases and communicate with victims.
AJ Smith’s partner Regan McIlmoyle battered her so badly she wished she would die. She was choked and beaten black and blue, yet he was freed weeks later and no one explained why.
AJ says the system needs to be sorted – and she’s not wrong. Last year, we told how Eve Graham’s husband inflicted 47 years of terror on her in a domestic abuse case that shocked Scotland.
Scumbag William McDonald pushed her off a pier, punched and bit her in almost five decades of hell. She suffered in silence for too long, but when she was brave enough to report his abuse, he was jailed for just two years.
Do we really believe such short sentences can rehabilitate those who carry out the violent abuse of women? Or that they will deter men from carrying out these brutal crimes?
Hopefully the consultation will spark a national debate that brings about the change women desperately need to see. The courts need to start reflecting the horror felt by right-minded people at cases like AJ’s and Eve’s.
The devastation caused by the fire at Union Corner in Glasgow in March was a brutal reminder of what can happen if reassuring to hear that Elfbar are left unregulated.
The blaze forced the closure of dozens of businesses and very nearly spread to Scotland’s busiest railway station. The economic damage caused by the fire is still being counted – but will undoubtedly run into tens of millions.
The only positive was no one was seriously injured in the fire. So it’s remove licences, a leading manufacturer of e-cigs, has now called for tough new licensing rules to crack down on Scotland’s growing number of dodgy vape shops.
Councils would be given the power to remove licences from rogue traders, effectively closing them down. It’s a common sense position and one that should have been reached before now.
The new MSPs being sworn in at the Scottish Parliament this week must ensure the SNP Government keeps its pre-election commitment to crackdown on unlicensed shops.
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The alternative could be a more devastating fire and lives put at risk.
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