Religiously Aggravated Offending in Scotland 2013-14

Footnotes

[1] The total number of charges is taken from the most up-to date information recorded on the COPFS

case management system. This is a live system and the numbers may vary from those previously published due to changes made during the course of investigation and prosecution of a case. The research conducted last year was based on the latest information available at the time, and reported 687 charges in 2012-13 and 901 charges in 2011-12.

[2] There were 61 'religious' charges under Offensive Behaviour legislation (60 under section 1 of this Act and one under section 6). The religious element in 13 of these charges was included as a section 74 religious aggravation. The other 48 charges involved the religious element within the main charge, so these represent 'extra' charges.

[3] 'General community' refers to people who happened to be in the vicinity of the charge taking place and may have been affected as a result, but who were not directly targeted by the accused.

[4] See: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubCriminalProceedings

[5] 'Concluded main charges' consists of all convictions (238 charges), those given no conviction (29 charges) and those where no further action was ruled (13 charges).

[6] See: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2003/7/section/74

[7] See: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/362943/0122956.pdf

[8] See: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0040/00408745.pdf

[9] See: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0042/00424865.pdf

[10] See: http://www.scotland.gov.uk226bf69c-4bbc-4dce-b473-7210445b2813

[11] See: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/03/9823

[12] http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/law/sectarianism-action-1/football-violence/bill

[13] There were 61 'religious' charges under the Offensive Behaviour legislation (60 under section 1 of this Act and one under section 6). The religious element in 13 of these charges was included as a section 74 religious aggravation. The other 48 charges involved the religious element within the main charge, so these represent 'extra' charges.

[14] The local authority area population rates for 2013-14 and 2012-13 are based on the GROS mid-year population rates. Available at: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/population/estimates/mid-year/2012/index.html

The local authority area population rates for 2010-11 and 2011-12 are based on the GROS mid-year population rates. Available at: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files2/stats/population-estimates/mid-2010/mid-year-pop-est-2010.pdf

[15] 'Main Street' refers to a public street in a town or city centre and is used in this report, and in the previous analysis, to distinguish between these areas and residential/suburban areas.

[16] The 'association with football' also took into consideration language that referred to a particular football team or reference to football songs or regalia/symbols.

[17] Charges occurred at 10 football stadiums throughout Scotland. No individual stadium had more than five section 74 charges recorded at it.

[18] Fifty-seven of the anti-Islam charges in 2012-13 were from a single incident at a march in Glasgow.

[19] Four religious officials were the victims of religiously aggravated incidents in 2013-14.

[20] See: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/PubCriminalProceedings

[21] 'Other' disposals in 2013-14 include admonishments and absolute discharges.

[22] 'Community Penalty' includes a community service order and community payback order.