The SNP’s controversial hate crime law has led to only 43 convictions so far – despite more than 10,000 complaints being made in under two months.
Scotland’s police chief Jo Farrell said it had been ‘hijacked to make mischief’ – when a flood of allegations were made after it began to be enforced on April 1.
New figures reveal there have been just 43 convictions under the Hate Crime Act – with many cases still being looked at – and a total of 950 charges.
Scottish Tory deputy justice spokesman Sharon Dowey said: ‘The public will be dismayed at the resources being wasted on a law which risks free speech.’
According to Police Scotland statistics up to May 19, when the force stopped publishing weekly data, there were 10,029 reports from the public of alleged hate crime, and of those only 1,537 were recorded as hate crimes.
More than 10,000 complaints were made in just seven weeks
The 950 charges included cases prosecuted under the Act and other offences with a hate crime ‘aggravator’.
The Crown figures show there were 108 charges with a hate crime aggravator for religious hate; 314 for racial hate; 14 for transgender and 18 for age.
There have been 43 convictions under the Hate Crime Act in summary courts – without juries – and 65 cases are ongoing in solemn courts, with juries.
A Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service spokesman said: ‘In the very short time since the legislation came into force, 950 charges have been reported to us. Of those 82 per cent are either still ongoing in court or awaiting a decision by prosecutors.
‘Seventy three per cent of the charges marked for prosecution have resulted in convictions and a further 105 charges initially reported as a hate crime resulted in a conviction for another charge.’
The spokesman added: ‘As one would expect in such a short time many of the charges reported are still ongoing and it would not be prudent to make any assumptions regarding the efficacy of legislation at such an early stage.’
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: ‘The surge of reports at the time of the Act’s introduction quickly reduced as the effect of misinformation and misrepresentation of the legislation subsided.’
