Chamber and committees

Visual Recording Interviews

Letter from the Convener, Criminal Justice Committee to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, 17 February 2022

Dear Cabinet Secretary,

Thank you for your letter to the Committee, providing an update on the actions being taken to tackle violence against women and girls.

In your letter you indicate that 266 Visual Recording Interviews have been carried out with a total of 247 complainers, as part of the pilot. However, no cases have yet proceeded to trial and therefore there is no data throughput for evaluation purposes.

Committee members would like to understand why none of these cases have proceeded to trial and, what if any action may be required to resolve any issues so that the Pilot Advisory Group is able to accelerate improvements to videoing police statements and remote evidence given by vulnerable witnesses.

Thank you for providing details of the Scottish Government’s plans to publish information to fulfil the reporting requirement at section 14 of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018. You indicate in your letter that it is your intention to publish information in Spring/Summer 2022 about the experiences of witnesses in domestic abuse cases during the reporting period (1 April 2019-30 March 2022). The Committee is keen to understand how domestic abuse cases are being dealt with by the criminal courts and would appreciate an update on when this work is to be completed, as soon as you are able to provide it.

I look forward to your response.

Best wishes,

Audrey Nicoll MSP
Convener, Criminal Justice Committee