The Crown Office and Strathclyde Police have warned that football matches such as Old Firm clashes are no excuse for domestic abuse.
Previous Old Firm matches have been shown to coincide with a sharp rise in the number of domestic abuse cases, and the authorities are warning that anyone arrested for a domestic abuse offence can expect to find themselves appearing before the domestic abuse court in Glasgow, where they will be robustly prosecuted.
Head of the Domestic Abuse Unit at Glasgow PF Office, Anne Marie Hicks, said:
“I would like to reassure the public that we take crimes of domestic abuse, whether it is physical or emotional, extremely seriously.
“I would urge anyone suffering in this way to come forward and report it, and I can assure you that your case will be dealt with sensitively and according to the particular circumstances.”
Since it commenced, (figures for April 2009 to July 2011 inclusive), the Domestic Abuse Unit received reports from the police in excess of 9000 cases. Approximately a quarter of all custody cases reported to the Procurator Fiscal in Glasgow involve domestic abuse.
COPFS defines domestic abuse as ‘any form of physical, sexual or mental and emotional abuse which might amount to criminal conduct and which takes place within the context of a relationship. The relationship will be between partners (married, cohabiting, civil partnership or otherwise) or ex-partners. The abuse can be committed in the home or elsewhere’. This definition is also used by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.
