Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025

50 Victim statements in solemn proceedings

(1) The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 is amended as follows.

(2) In section 14 (victim statements)—

(a) in subsection (1)—

(i) “taken” where it first occurs is repealed,

(ii) after “likely to be” insert “—

(a) solemn proceedings, or”,

(iii) the words from “taken” to the end become paragraph (b),

(b) in subsection (2), for “a prescribed offence” substitute “an offence mentioned in subsection (2A)”,

(c) after subsection (2) insert—

“(2A) The offences are—

(a) in the case of solemn proceedings, any offence,

(b) in all other cases, a prescribed offence.”,

(d) in subsection (13), after “statement” where it first occurs insert “made by virtue of subsection (2)”,

(e) in subsection (15)—

(i) in the opening words, for “(2)” substitute “(2A)”,

(ii) in paragraph (b), for “(2)” substitute “(2A)”,

(iii) after paragraph (b) insert—

“(ba) in the case of an order under subsection (13), provision to prescribe a form or manner by reference to one or more particular courts, types of proceedings, jurisdictions, offences or types of offence, or a combination of those things;”,

(iv) in paragraph (c), for “(2)” substitute “(2A)”,

(f) in subsection (16), for “(2)” substitute “(2A)”.

(3) In section 88 (orders), in subsection (2)(a), for “(2)” substitute “(2A)”.