He said, “I have no doubt that the wording could be strengthened regarding a requirement to take views into account but consideration of the age and stage of the children and the length of time that it might take to get alongside those children so that they are confidently able to express their views, is key”.Justice Committee Official Report 34th Meeting, Tuesday 22 December 2020, col 16
In supplementary evidence, CPCScotland provided the Committee with examples of good practice where children’s views had been given in court in relation to existing legislation including provisions in the Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2019 which aims to improve how children and vulnerable witnesses participate in criminal proceedings (by making more use of pre...