Domestic abuse court praised in inspection

THE specialist Domestic Abuse Court in Glasgow has been held up as an example of better practice in prosecutions.

The city has operated the dedicated court since 2009 in a summary case pilot which was then extended to cover courts in Dundee, Hamilton and Paisley.

A new report by HM Inspector of Prosecutions compared the service in Glasgow and Dundee where a similar court operates to the standard approach across the rest of Scotland.

It found, in Glasgow, the quality of reports submitted by the police to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service ( COPFS) was consistently better than elsewhere.

Inspectors also found having a dedicated team of deputes prosecuting cases provided an opportunity for them to develop expertise in managing domestic abuse cases.

The report stated fewer cases were being timetabled for the Glasgow court than for other courts in Glasgow which allowed deputes more preparation time, including time to meet with victims.

Average case journey times in Glasgow were also shorter than elsewhere.

The report states: “Between February 2023 and January 2024, the average waiting period across Scotland was 11 weeks. Glasgow Sheriff Court has the highest volume of cases but has achieved an average waiting period of nine weeks.”

Laura Paton, HM Chief Inspector of Prosecution in Scotland, said: “The summary case management pilot offers opportunities to bring cases to a conclusion at an earlier stage.

“This benefits victims and witnesses who may not need to give evidence at court.

“We welcome the contribution COPFS has made to the pilot, including working well with other justice agencies.”

In the overall report the inspectors concluded the prosecution service in Scotland must do more to engage with and support individual victims when preparing and prosecuting domestic abuse cases.

Paton said: “The picture that emerges from our inspection is of a service committed in principle to tackling domestic abuse and supporting victims, but which is struggling to put this commitment into practice in every case and to keep pace with increasing expectations.”

She added “communication with the victim is key”.

While the positive impact of the Glasgow court was highlighted it was noted there were also issues requiring attention, that exist in other courts, including “not addressing issues at an early stage of case preparation and inadequate communication with victims”.

Paton said: “Our findings suggest there is no one approach which is consistently better than others.

“Rather, each approach has features which contribute to the more effective management of summary domestic abuse cases.”