Humza pledges to look at strengthening victims’ rights
JUSTICE Secretary Humza Yousaf has pledged to look at how victims’ rights could be strengthened after meeting the family of a teenage girl murdered by her ex-boyfriend.
Relatives of Michelle Stewart met with Mr Yousaf in Ayr to make the case for changes dubbed “Michelle’s Law”.
Michelle was just 17 when she was stabbed to death in 2008 in her home village of Drongan, Ayrshire, by John Wilson.
Her family launched their campaign after learning her killer could be freed before his minimum sentence is up.
After meeting Mr Yousaf yesterday, he said they had “shown enormous strength in coming forward to tell Michelle’s story”.
Mr Yousaf wrote on Twitter: “Family presented a number of proposals – I will look at them with an open mind. Will look to see how we can strengthen victim’s rights.”
Michelle’s family began their bid after the prison service told them Wilson had been approved for temporary release – despite the judge who jailed him making clear he should serve 12 years before any chance of parole.
The family say they have had little input into the release process, and have been unable to restrict Wilson’s relocation and exclude their local area.
They have set up a petition for a halt to Wilson’s relocation to Ayr, a few miles away, on release – and it currently has 4,500 signatures.
Their campaign calls for the welfare of victims and their families to be taken into account when parole is considered, increased use of powers to impose “exclusion zones” on offenders, and improvements to the Victim Notification Scheme so victims and families are given reasons for an offender’s release, and can make representations.
Michelle’s sister, Lisa Stewart, said: “The original sentence was not nearly long enough and now we face, just nine years on, the prospect of seeing my sister’s killer on the street, on the bus or in the shops. It is unbelievably painful. That isn’t right, and that’s why we are launching this campaign. We are victims too, and our voices must be heard.”
Ayr MSP John Scott of the Scottish Conservatives, who support the campaign, said: “We want victims and their families to have a much greater say in when criminals are released, and where they are released to. That way we can finally get justice for Michelle.”