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All Official Reports of meetings in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
All Official Reports of public meetings of committees.
Displaying 1639 contributions
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 22 December 2021
Russell Findlay
I seek clarification on the 92 per cent. I do not know what that relates to exactly.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 22 December 2021
Russell Findlay
Thank you.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 22 December 2021
Russell Findlay
I am sorry. I did not indicate that I wanted to come back in.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 22 December 2021
Russell Findlay
It is an historical case that I mentioned as an example to give people an idea of what happens. I do not suppose that there is much purpose in revisiting it.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 22 December 2021
Russell Findlay
A few weeks ago, my colleague Jamie Greene and I met some of your Crown Office colleagues who prosecute cases in the lower courts to discuss an issue that is not often talked about: plea deals. In one serious domestic violence case that I am familiar with, there were 16 charges, and after four years, there was a plea deal in which seven of the charges were dropped and some of the others were amended. The victim was not informed of the decision. Moreover, the amending of some of the details was quite jarring and, in some respects, revictimising. Should victims be told of any plea deals and the detail of them? Given the court backlog, is there not a risk of such deals being used more than they are currently—and perhaps disproportionately, to the detriment of justice? What safeguards are there against that happening?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 22 December 2021
Russell Findlay
Yes.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 15 December 2021
Russell Findlay
I asked Mr Graham whether a rape victim would be informed should this situation transpire. I understand that it has not yet happened, but that might be because this is a new development. It is clearly causing women across Scotland significant concern. How do you think a woman who had been raped would feel if she found that her attacker had been categorised as a woman by Police Scotland?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 15 December 2021
Russell Findlay
Okay. Convener, do I have time to go back to the line of questioning that Katy Clark was pursuing?
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 15 December 2021
Russell Findlay
Sure. This is largely theoretical, but if you follow it to its logical conclusion, you might have rape victims in court having to call their alleged rapist “she”.
Criminal Justice Committee
Meeting date: 15 December 2021
Russell Findlay
Good morning, DCC Graham. It has been reported that Police Scotland may record rape as having been committed by a woman when the alleged male-born rapist does not have a gender recognition certificate. How did Police Scotland arrive at that decision?