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					<dc:identifier>http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/enacted</dc:identifier><dc:title>Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025</dc:title><dc:publisher>King's Printer for Scotland</dc:publisher><dc:modified>2025-11-11</dc:modified>
					
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</ukm:DocumentClassification><ukm:Year Value="2025"/><ukm:Number Value="12"/><ukm:EnactmentDate Date="2025-10-30"/><ukm:ISBN Value="9780105904410"/></ukm:PrimaryMetadata>
					

                    
									 
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				</ukm:Metadata><Primary><Body DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/body/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/body" NumberOfProvisions="148"><Part DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/part/12/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/part/12" NumberOfProvisions="1" id="part-12"><Number>Part 12</Number><Title>Domestic abuse cases</Title><P1group><Title>Review in relation to connected proceedings</Title><P1 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110" id="section-110">
<Pnumber>110</Pnumber>
<P1para>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/1/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/1" id="section-110-1">
<Pnumber>1</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>The Scottish Ministers must, within the period of 2 years beginning with the day on which this section comes into force, carry out a review in relation to proceedings for an offence involving domestic abuse where there are any other related or connected proceedings.</Text>
</P2para>
</P2>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/2/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/2" id="section-110-2">
<Pnumber>2</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>The review under subsection (1) must, in particular, consider whether—</Text>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/2/a/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/2/a" id="section-110-2-a">
<Pnumber>a</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>more information should be shared between the court dealing with the domestic abuse offence and any other court dealing with related or connected proceedings,</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/2/b/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/2/b" id="section-110-2-b">
<Pnumber>b</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>the court dealing with the domestic abuse offence should also have jurisdiction over any related or connected proceedings.</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
</P2para>
</P2>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/3/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/3" id="section-110-3">
<Pnumber>3</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>For the purposes of subsection (1), “<Term id="term-related-or-connected-proceedings">related or connected proceedings</Term>” includes proceedings which may result in a sheriff making an order under section 11 (court orders relating to parental responsibilities etc.) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, where the subject of the proceedings is a child of the alleged offender.</Text>
</P2para>
</P2>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/4/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/4" id="section-110-4">
<Pnumber>4</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>As soon as reasonably practicable after completing the review, the Scottish Ministers must—</Text>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/4/a/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/4/a" id="section-110-4-a">
<Pnumber>a</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>publish a report of the review,</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/4/b/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/4/b" id="section-110-4-b">
<Pnumber>b</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>lay a copy of the report before the Scottish Parliament.</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
</P2para>
</P2>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/5/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/5" id="section-110-5">
<Pnumber>5</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>In carrying out the review under subsection (1), the Scottish Ministers must consult—</Text>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/5/a/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/5/a" id="section-110-5-a">
<Pnumber>a</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>the Lord President,</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/5/b/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/5/b" id="section-110-5-b">
<Pnumber>b</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service,</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/5/c/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/5/c" id="section-110-5-c">
<Pnumber>c</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>persons representing victims of domestic abuse (or victims themselves),</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/5/d/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/5/d" id="section-110-5-d">
<Pnumber>d</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>such other persons as the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate.</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
</P2para>
</P2>
<P2 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/6/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/6" id="section-110-6">
<Pnumber>6</Pnumber>
<P2para>
<Text>In this section, an “<Term id="term-offence-involving-domestic-abuse">offence involving domestic abuse</Term>” means—</Text>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/6/a/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/6/a" id="section-110-6-a">
<Pnumber>a</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>an offence under section 1(1) (abusive behaviour towards partner or ex-partner) of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018,</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/6/b/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/6/b" id="section-110-6-b">
<Pnumber>b</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>an offence under section 17 (breach of domestic abuse protection order) of the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Act 2021,</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
<P3 DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2025/12/section/110/6/c/enacted" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2025/12/section/110/6/c" id="section-110-6-c">
<Pnumber>c</Pnumber>
<P3para>
<Text>any other offence where the offence is aggravated as described in section 1(1)(a) (aggravation where abuse of partner or ex-partner) of the Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016.</Text>
</P3para>
</P3>
</P2para>
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