This is the first comprehensive guide to the law and practice of sexual offences in Scotland. It provides a complete and up-to-date commentary on the main sexual offences in Scots law and on how such offences are investigated, prosecuted and tried in the Scottish courts.
It also provides an outline of the main principles and sources of evidence in sexual offences cases, including medical, scientific and other expert evidence. This is an indispensable guide for all those involved in such cases at all levels of the Scottish legal system.
The Law of Sexual Offences in Scotland is the only book on the market to cover not just the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009, but also:
- The Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005 (the other main piece of legislation protecting children from sexual offences)
- The Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm (Scotland) Act 2016 and the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018;
- Indecent images and pornography offences
- Historical sexual offences - still regularly prosecuted in the courts and forming a significant part of the courts' workload
- The investigation, prosecution and trial of sexual offences, covering each stage of the process from an initial complaint to the police through to the trial
- Particular rules of evidence in sexual offences cases (for instance, the rape-shield provisions in sections 274 and 275 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995
- Expert forensic and medical evidence in sexual offences cases, and
- Sentencing and ancillary orders in sexual offences cases
