Chamber and committees

Thank you.

I have one very final question, picking up on a point that Hannah Stakes made about court transcripts. There is a proposal for an audio transcript. Would survivors welcome that? Would that be a helpful, positive option?

Before I bring the session to a close, would any of you like to make any final points?

Our final panel is part of phase 3 of our scrutiny of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, which focuses specifically on parts 5 and 6 of the bill. Those parts cover the establishment of a new sexual offences court, anonymity for victims of sex offences, independent legal representation for complainers and the proposal for a pilot for judge-only trials in certain rape cases.

I welcome to the meeting Sandy Brindley, chief executive at Rape Crisis Scotland; Dr Marsha Scott, chief executive at Scottish Women’s Aid; Kate Wallace, chief executive at Victim Support Scotland; and Emma Bryson from Speak Out Survivors. I intend to allow about 90 minutes for this session.

I begin with a general question. Do the witnesses support the creation of a specialist sexual offences court? What would be the main benefits of creating one?

On that note, I bring this discussion to a close. I thank all of you very much indeed. It has been extremely valuable to hear your views, and we are very grateful that you were able to attend this morning.

Thank you. I bring in Anisha Yaseen.

Thank you, Anisha. I invite members to ask questions. Russell Findlay will be first.

For the record, when you say “VIA”, are you referring to the victim information and advice service in the court system?

Good morning, and welcome to the third meeting in 2024 of the Criminal Justice Committee. We have received apologies from Katy Clark.

Under our first agenda item, we will continue to take evidence on the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill at stage 1. Today, we will hear the views of survivors of sexual crimes who have personal experience of the criminal justice system. This is an important evidence session for the committee. The bill aims to improve the experience of survivors of crime in the justice system, so it is important that we hear the perspectives of the panel members who are giving their views today.

I offer our first panel—Hannah McLaughlan and Ellie Wilson—a warm welcome. Thank you for taking the time to attend the meeting; it is greatly appreciated. I intend to allow about an hour for this session. If you would like to ask a question or say anything, please raise your hand or indicate to me in some way, and I will be happy to bring you in.

I thought that it might be helpful if I opened the session with a general question about trauma-informed practice. As you know, the bill introduces a requirement that victims and witnesses

“should be treated in a way that accords with trauma-informed practice”.

Do you think that that is needed? If so, why?

Thank you very much, Ellie.