Shaun website to campaign for victims’ rights
Tragic footballer’s family say it will support and fight for those who have been hit by crime
THE family of tragic footballer Shaun Woodburn have launched a website for victims and their families to campaign for better rights.
Shaun’s dad, Kevin, who designed Victimsvoice4Scotland.co.uk, said he set it up as “it’s time for victims’ voices to be heard”.
Shaun, 30, was killed in a random attack on New Year’s Day 2017 and his family were angry when teenage killer Mohammed Ibnomer was caged for four years.
The family have already secured a change in postmortem protocols. Now they want to make the Scottish Government do more for victims and their families.
Kevin says appointing a victim’s commissioner would be a big step forward but Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf last month rejected the idea and insisted money is better spent on support groups, making £179million available.
The website, funded by the Woodburns, is offering free support to anyone who has been the victim of a crime or their families.
He said existing agencies don’t give families the help they need to navigate legal processes, adding: “We have set up the website to promote victims’ stories and, in particular, their issues with the judicial system.
“The site will provide people with a forum to promote ordinary people’s views on the current system and the failings that cause so much concern to people at a point in their lives when they are grieving over the loss of a loved one.
“My whole family has suffered at the hands of the system and, with their help, we have put this together.”