We need a future where girls can live free of fear

The Lord Advocate has issued calls for societal change in a bid to tackle domestic abuse.

- EMYLIE HOWIE

Dorothy Bain KC reinforced the commitment of prosecutors to address domestic abuse reported to them - and assured victims and children of her personal support and concern.

Scotland's most senior prosecutor commented on the publication of the annual Domestic Abuse and Stalking Charges in Scotland which are statistics compiled by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

The figures for 2024-25 show a slight increase of 0.4 per cent in the number of charges reported to COPFS.

In 2024-25, 30,227 charges related to domestic abuse were reported compared to the previous year's total of 30,100.

The majority of these charges were prosecuted with 92 per cent proceeding to court.

The proportion of cases prosecuted in the higher courts at solemn level (tried by a jury) reached 20 per cent. This continues a general upward trend since 2015-16 when 13 per cent of charges were prosecuted at solemn level.