Government backs anti-hate crime proposals

Legislation would extend statutory aggravations where a crime is motivated by hostility

News, 15 January 2008

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The Scottish Government has given its backing to proposals to strengthen hate crime legislation, giving additional protection to disabled people and those from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

Green MSP Patrick Harvie's proposal for a Sentencing of Offences Aggravated by Prejudice (Scotland) Bill will be taken forward early this year as a handout Member's Bill - one sponsored and supported by the government.

Statutory aggravations exist at present for religiously or racially motivated crime. The bill proposes to extend the statutory aggravations to where a crime is motivated by hostility or ill will towards a victim based on their actual or presumed sexual orientation, transgender identity or disability, following the recommendations of the Working Group on Hate Crime.

Mr Harvie said: "These proposals will, if Parliament backs them, mean divisive and scarring crimes are deterred more effectively and taken more seriously, just as racially motivated attacks already are."

Morag Alexander, Scotland Commissioner for the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, also welcomed the proposals, saying that it was only right that that disabled, lesbian, gay and transgender people were able to go about their daily lives as equal citizens.

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