London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Justice secretary: Misogyny may become a stand-alone crime in Scotland

Justice secretary: Misogyny may become a stand-alone crime in Scotland

Misogynistic abuse could be come a separate crime in Scotland, the justice secretary has said.

Keith Brown said men's attitude to low level sexism had to be challenged to make women safer.

His comments follow the sentencing of Wayne Couzens for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard while Couzens was a serving police officer in London.

A working group led by Helena Kennedy QC on whether misogyny should be a distinct crime will report in February.

The full details of the Sarah Everard case, which emerged when he was sentenced last week, have reignited debate on what more can be done to tackle violence against women.

In March the Scottish government faced calls to include misogyny - prejudice against women - in its hate crime legislation when it was debated at Holyrood.

Labour MSP Johann Lamont tabled an amendment that would have included women as a protected group, giving the courts enhanced sentencing powers.

The amendment was defeated, however, with the government instead setting up a working group led by Baroness Kennedy to look at whether misogynistic abuse should be a separate crime.

Mr Brown told BBC Scotland's The Sunday Show the ministers would be guided by the group's findings - but he believed such a move would be a "very important signal that these behaviours are not acceptable in society from men".

"Her work is progressing very well and it may well be that we end up, depending on her recommendations, with a stand alone offence of misogyny," Mr Brown said.

Police vetting procedures


Mr Brown welcomed Police Scotland's introduction of new verification checks for lone police officers as a "very positive step" after it emerged that Couzens used his police warrant card and handcuffs to abduct Ms Everard.

New procedures mean members of the public who encounter an officer working alone in Scotland can verify their identity with the police control room.

The justice secretary said the measures put "the onus on the police not women to take action if somebody is in a vulnerable situation with one police officer".

Extra vetting procedures had also been put in place for trainee police officers in Scotland, he said.

The justice secretary said men of all ages had to change their attitudes to low level misogyny.

"I think it is very important that I have to say this, as a man to men, we have have to change our behaviour," he said.

"There are too many women that feel the justice system doesn't serve them well."

Sandy Brindley, from Rape Crisis Scotland, said one of the most "chilling" aspects of the Sarah Everard case was that Couzens was reportedly nicknamed "the rapist" by colleagues.

"What that says to me is that people knew that he behaved in a predatory way towards women and nobody held him accountable, and nobody challenged him - that's what we need to change," she said.

Asked about a report last year from former Lord Advocate Dame Elish Angiolini that found evidence of a "canteen culture" and discrimination within Police Scotland, Ms Brindley said there was no doubt sexist and racist attitudes existed within the police as well as in many other institutions.

"I do think we need a clear commitment from the police to address these issues, but I don't think it's only for the police," she said.

"Time and time again we see a man convicted of a crime like rape where it turns out that people around them, people who worked with them were aware of their predatory behaviour, an institution was aware of it and took no steps to challenge it.

"We need zero tolerance of the type of behaviour that leads for example being called a rapist and still continue in their job."

She said a "complete cultural change" was needed, pointing out that rape had the lowest conviction rate of any crime type in Scotland.

Only 43% of rape cases brought before a court end in conviction, compared with 88% of other crimes.

"If you are serious about improving women's safety, the starting point has to be having a justice system we can have confidence in and also a justice system that does not systematically let men who are guilty of rape walk free," she said.


Scottish Justice Secretary Keith Brown says misogyny could become a 'stand-alone offence' in Scotland

Sandy Brindley says cultural change is needed to enable more people to challenge misogynistic attitudes


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×