Women deserve better

Is it going to take the death of a woman before the court in Shetland deems domestic violence to be nothing more that something worth a few pounds in a man’s pocket? (Fined and ordered to pay compensation; SN, 13/10/15 and Trial: man denies assaults on ex-girlfriend; SN, 12/10/15)

Week after week we see reports of women being physically abused by their ‘partners’ and the court treating the perpetrators to a slap on the wrist.

Seems to me that a man can beat up a woman, even rendering her unconscious, in his own home or in public and the court’s attitude seems to be that if “hey, it’s just a woman, she doesn’t matter”.

If you are caught carrying a knife or hitting another man in the street or in a bar, or selling drugs, you are almost certainly going to go to prison, but hit a woman, beat the hell out of a woman even, and you will absolutely certainly just get a fine.

Women deserve better protection and justice than what they receive from this sheriff and/or the sheriff’s court.

Gill Hession
Papil
Burra