John Swinney has declined to guarantee that men accused or convicted of violence against women will be barred from bail or excluded from Scotland’s early-release arrangements.
The First Minister was challenged over the issue during First Minister’s Questions at Holyrood, only days after pledging to provide personal leadership in tackling violence against women and girls.
Opposition leaders called for tougher safeguards after a series of killings involving women who had previously sought help from the justice system. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay urged Mr Swinney to reverse changes to bail law introduced in 2023 and to prevent violent offenders from being released early.
The Bail and Release from Custody (Scotland) Act 2023 made keeping an accused person in custody before trial a last resort. Mr Findlay argued that the legislation had removed important protections for victims of domestic abuse.
Scottish Labour acting leader Jackie Baillie also pressed the First Minister over the use of GPS monitoring for people released on bail. She referred to the murder of Stacy Hunter, who was killed by her estranged husband after he had been released on bail, and the 2021 killing of Claire Inglis.
Mr Findlay additionally highlighted the recent death of Samantha Lee, claiming that women had been put at risk by offenders who had previously attacked them. The claims were made in the Scottish Parliament and have not been tested in court.
Mr Swinney said the current bail test allowed the needs and perspectives of victims to be considered, but stressed that decisions on bail and remand were matters for the independent judiciary rather than ministers.
He said pilot work on GPS tracking for people released on bail was under way and promised that the Scottish Government would seek progress on a new Misogyny Bill, alongside a public health campaign aimed at challenging misogynistic attitudes among boys and young men.
Mr Swinney told MSPs that male violence against women was “absolutely and completely unacceptable” and said every part of the state would be used to tackle it. However, he stopped short of backing a blanket ban on bail or early release for violent offenders against women.
