The Scottish Legal System has received extra funding from the government in order to tackle the growth in sexual offence reports and to reduce delays in such cases. COPFS and SCTS will use the 1.1 million granted in this respect to reduce the time in which it takes such cases to be brought to court.
Scotland’s prosecutors and courts are to get extra funding to respond to the growth in sexual offence reports and reduce the time such cases take to progress through the justice system. It is also been argued that this will improve information provided to complainers in such cases.
The Justice Secretary has stated: “Many victims of sexual offences are understandably anxious about the criminal justice process and there is a risk that without appropriate support and reassurance the prosecution process can compound their trauma. That is why we are providing this extra funding to help ensure cases reach court as quickly as possible and to improve communication with victims.”Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC added: “The additional funding which the Justice Secretary has announced responds to the current and projected growth in reports of sexual crime, and the changing profile and complexity of these cases.”