Nicola’s justice summit for Shaun
I’d do the same in your position, Sturgeon tells parents of tragic Shaun
FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the parents of slain young dad Shaun Woodburn yesterday that her government would “learn lessons” from the tragedy to better serve other victims’ families.
NICOLA Sturgeon has told the family of slain footballer Shaun Woodburn that she will support them in “whatever way she can” as they fight for justice.
Shaun’s dad Kevin, mum Denise Syme and grandad Oliver had a private meeting yesterday with the First Minister and Justice Secretary Michael Matheson.
Dad-of-one Shaun, 30, was attacked outside Gladstones Bar, in Leith, Edinburgh, in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2017. He died in hospital from massive head injuries.
His loved ones have been campaigning for tougher sentencing after his killer, now 17, was jailed for just four years for culpable homicide.
Sturgeon wrote to the family last year expressing her sympathy and condolences but warned she could not get involved in the controversy surrounding his killer’s sentence.
However, in the three-hour meeting at the Scottish Parliament, she offered her support for their quest to get answers over the handling of Shaun’s case.
Sturgeon also promised to look into aspects of the case which caused further trauma to Shaun’s family in the hope of sparing other victims’ loved ones similar anguish.
Last night, Kevin said: “The meeting went very well. She did say from the outset she could not talk about the specifics of Shaun’s case as the Government cannot intervene on matters relating to criminal cases.
“But she said she had been reading about Shaun’s story and his death was an absolute tragedy for his family and friends.
“She said she understood and if she was in the same position, she would 100 per cent do what we were doing and seek answers to the many questions we have.
“I told her we were perplexed about why, if there is an age of criminal responsibility for juveniles, why are they then treated like children in the courts when it comes to sentencing?
“I wanted to make the point in general terms there was no deterrent to juvenile crime, specifically of a more serious nature such as culpable homicide if the punishment does not fit the crime.
“She said juvenile crime, while a small minority, is a concern for everybody but she understood our position on it absolutely.
“I pointed out to her that the minority would become the majority if there was no clear punishments being handed down by the courts.”
Kevin added: “I told her and Mr Matheson that certain parts of the justice system are medieval. For example, the automatic right of a second post mortem for the defence.
“We were told before the results of Shaun’s first post mortem that a second one would be carried out by independent practitioners. Why is it done in this way? There are no real grounds to it at all.
“It adds to the pain and heartache of a family already going through hell.
“I told them both I understand the need for the defence to have their own reports, but why can’t this be done at the same time with representatives from the Crown and the defence to minimise the horrendous situation for a family going through this?
“There is a lack of sensitivity towards the families of victims and this must be addressed.
“There was a lot of discussion about the morality of the trial process, as opposed to the legalities of a trial.
“Nicola seemed interested in a lot of the human side of the process and how victims’ families are treated. She did show great empathy on those points.” Denise said she appreciated the fact that Sturgeon took the time to speak with them.
She said she told the First Minister how the system appeared to “fall apart” when Shaun’s case was handed over to the Crown.
Denise added: “I can’t fault the police at all. They kept us informed as to what was happening but
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