Justice boss calls on UK summit to tackle serial attackers and keep women safe
Plea for action after Paisley brute targeted multiple victims
Scotland’s justice secretary is calling for a UK summit to tackle a national failure to identify serial domestic abusers.
Humza Yousaf was reacting to demands that serial attackers should be on a register and monitored like terrorists and sex offenders.
The move comes after our sister paper the Daily Record revealed systematic failures had allowed serial attacker David Kerr, originally from Paisley, to criss-cross the UK, brutalising multiple women.
Kerr, 37, abused and viciously assaulted three women, including breaking into the home of his ex-partner Amy Clarke and strangling her until she passed out.
Yousaf said: “It’s a horrendous case and women have been let down by systems that are supposed to be there to protect them from serial abusers.
“I suspect this is just one case that highlights failures in the system that have affected many women.
“If my party is re- elected, I would be happy for us to host a summit and round table discussion with agencies across the UK, including the third sector, prosecutors, police and experts, to identify the gaps and go about tackling this problem.”
By moving between Scotland and Wales, Kerr took advantage of a serious failure to track the criminal histories of serial domestic abusers.
Last month, a sheriff sentencing Kerr was not informed by police of his Welsh assault convictions and was only told after one of his victims emailed them to a Scots prosecutor on the case.
A disjointed approach between justice agencies was exploited by Kerr, who has a ten-year pattern of potentially fatal attacks against women.
Women’s Aid Scotland confirmed they have dealt with similar cases where serial attackers have not been red-flagged.
Kerr has consistently been handed a series of paltry punishments including community service, alcohol and anger management classes, and fines.
In three- quarters of cases where a woman is murdered by a current or former partner, there has been a history of domestic abuse.
Experts say serial domestic attackers should be forced, like sex offenders, to notify police of any change in name or address, if they travel abroad or start a new relationship.
Yousaf added: “There is clearly not enough joined- up thinking between agencies including police and prosecutors.
“I hope whichever administration is in power after the election would very quickly want to make contact with the UK Government in terms of what they are doing in terms of their legislation and see if we can do anything in Scotland with our domestic abuse legislation in Scotland.”
The demands for a register have been backed by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
He said: “As the deeply disturbing case of David Kerr has made clear, it is time for a register of all individuals who are found to have physically assaulted or abused women.
“For far too long, many women have been the victims of male violence and this case shows how abusers can exploit loopholes. This must end. It’s time for action to stop attackers in their tracks and to keep women safe.”
Two weeks ago in Westminster, the Tories voted down a serial domestic abuse perpetrators register for England and Wales by a 125 majority.
It’s a horrendous case and women have been let down by systems supposed to protect them