Gay attack legislation NOW in force
A new law which punishes perpetrators of hate crime against gay people is in force
A new law which punishes the perpetrators of hate crime against disabled and gay people has come into force.
The new legislation means judges must take into account the motivation for attacks on disabled and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
It puts such crimes on the same footing as racist and religiously aggravated incidents for the first time.
A survey of Scotland`s gay community found a third claim they have been the victim of a physical attack, according to the equality charity Stonewall Scotland.
Its recent poll showed two-thirds have been verbally abused but 88% did not report it to police. Only four out of ten who had been physically attacked reported it to the authorities.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "There is no excuse for any form of hate crime, it is simply not acceptable and it will not be tolerated. When it does happen, victims must have the confidence to report it, confident that they will receive a good level of service from the police and other agencies.
"That is exactly why we've got this new legislation coming into force which will rightly put these kinds of crimes on the same footing as racist incidents. This sends out a strong message that hate crime against LGBT and disabled people will not be tolerated."
The Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009 was introduced to the Parliament after being proposed in a Member`s Bill by Green MSP Patrick Harvie. It is the first piece of Green legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament.
Mr Harvie said: "Perpetrators of hate crimes against disabled and LGBT Scots will be put on notice. Courts can now take account of the true nature of their crimes when sentencing and the police will be gathering data to see how effectively these offences are being tackled."
A new law which punishes the perpetrators of hate crime against disabled and gay people has come into force.
The new legislation means judges must take into account the motivation for attacks on disabled and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
It puts such crimes on the same footing as racist and religiously aggravated incidents for the first time.
A survey of Scotland`s gay community found a third claim they have been the victim of a physical attack, according to the equality charity Stonewall Scotland.
Its recent poll showed two-thirds have been verbally abused but 88% did not report it to police. Only four out of ten who had been physically attacked reported it to the authorities.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "There is no excuse for any form of hate crime, it is simply not acceptable and it will not be tolerated. When it does happen, victims must have the confidence to report it, confident that they will receive a good level of service from the police and other agencies.
"That is exactly why we've got this new legislation coming into force which will rightly put these kinds of crimes on the same footing as racist incidents. This sends out a strong message that hate crime against LGBT and disabled people will not be tolerated."
The Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009 was introduced to the Parliament after being proposed in a Member`s Bill by Green MSP Patrick Harvie. It is the first piece of Green legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament.
Mr Harvie said: "Perpetrators of hate crimes against disabled and LGBT Scots will be put on notice. Courts can now take account of the true nature of their crimes when sentencing and the police will be gathering data to see how effectively these offences are being tackled."
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