Criminal Justice Committee 02 April 2025
A number of these amendments seek to amend elements of the sexual offences court, including what it will be able to do and what crimes it will be able to deal with.
On amendment 157, my intention and how things have come out might be two entirely different things, as is often the case, but my intention was to ensure that the crime of rape would be presided over only by a High Court judge. I appreciate that the cabinet secretary might say that that is what she would expect, but it is really important, when we are legislating, to nail down the detail on the expectations under the law. I would not be happy if the door were to be left open to any discretion whatever.
Amendment 69 seeks to leave out murder as a crime that could be tried in the sexual offences court. The senators of the College of Justice have said that murder should be tried only in the High Court and that “the anecdotal nature” of paragraph 280 of the policy memorandum
“gives no confidence that this ... constitutional change has been thought through properly.”
Paragraph 280 in the policy memorandum states:
“There are known cases in which sexual abuse perpetrated by an accused is alleged to have escalated over time, against multiple complainers, ultimately leading to a murder. Given the experience of the surviving complainers and the nature of their evidence ... the policy objective is to afford those complainers the benefits of the case being prosecuted in the Sexual Offences Court.”
On that, the senators stated:
“While this is undoubtedly true, there are not many such cases and the anecdotal nature of para 280 gives no confidence that this major constitutional change has been thought through properly. The appropriate place for charges of murder and attempted murder is the High Court. Murder is the most serious charge in the criminal canon. It is that charge which should determine the forum. The suggested change ignores the fact that in the very few cases where sexual offences are alleged against a surviving complainer, it is likely that the case will be tried before a judge who is also a judge of the sexual offences court and that most if not all of the benefits of that court will be able to be afforded to such a complainer.”
They continued:
“We remain firmly of the view that life imprisonment and OLRs”—
that is, orders for lifelong restriction—
“should be the exclusive province of the High Court.”
It would be a mistake if, in trying to sort out the status and importance of the sexual offences court, we in any way diluted the importance of the High Court of Justiciary, which will still be the highest court. I am happy to be contradicted on that, but I would challenge such a view. Under the Scotland Act 1998, the High Court of Justiciary will remain the highest court. It is a requirement of the Scotland Act 1998, and its integrity should be protected.
I move amendment 157.