First conviction secured under new domestic abuse offence

A Glasgow man has become the first person to be convicted under the new domestic abuse offence in Scots law.

William James Murdoch (43) admitted charges under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, which came into force on 1 April 2019, that involved making a series of abusive phone calls to his ex-wife, along with a breach of the peace.

The Act criminalises psychological domestic abuse and coercive and controlling behaviour, as well as physical abuse.

Appearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court, the accused was sentenced to a community payback order with 14 months' supervision and 200 hours' unpaid work. He also had a two-year non-harassment order made against him.

Detective Superintendent Gordon McCreadie, Police Scotland's national lead for domestic abuse, said the conviction was a "positive start" towards tackling domestic abuse.

He commented: "Those coercive and controlling behaviours, that for so long were the hidden aspects of abuse, are now being brought into the open. With the new law we can now investigate and report the full circumstances of an abusive relationship to the Crown, as happened in this case."

He added that a number of other cases were progressing through the system, "and we will continue to monitor the new offence to ensure an effective response".

Anne Marie Hicks, the national procurator fiscal for domestic abuse, said the conviction represented "a highly significant step forward in tackling domestic abuse".

She added: "I hope the prosecution and conviction in this case will provide reassurance to victims and that they will have greater confidence to report all forms of abusive behaviour."