Success claimed for first year of abuse court
26 Oct 05
Glasgow pilot court achieves 75% conviction rate in over 600 cases
A pilot domestic abuse court is helping to speed up the time it takes for cases to come to trial.
The pilot service, based at Glasgow Sheriff Court, fast tracks cases of domestic abuse which occur in the city's south side and aims to provide better information and support to victims so that fewer complaints are withdrawn before reaching the courtroom.
The court has dealt with 607 cases since October 2004. Of these, 121 accused pled guilty when the case was first called to court, 172 pled guilty at intermediate diet, 124 pled guilty at trial and 33 were found guilty. This represents a conviction rate of 74.13 per cent of cases (450 out of 607). All trial dates assigned were within six weeks.
Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm said: "Now halfway through the pilot, I am pleased to note that the court is, as it aimed to do, speeding up the time it takes for cases to come to trial - every case has had a trial date within six weeks, halving the time cases might have taken previously."