Prosecutor Issues Warning to Abusive Men
The head of Scotland's prosecution service has declared a firm stance against men who abuse their partners to the extent that it leads to their partners taking their own lives.
John Logue, Crown agent of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), made these remarks following the sentencing of Lee Milne, who was convicted of culpable homicide after his wife Kimberly Milne died by suicide amid a prolonged abuse campaign.
This case marked the first instance in Scottish law where culpable homicide was applied in such circumstances.
Speaking on the BBC's Scotcast, Logue stated:
"I think what this case does do is put men on notice that we now see this in a different way and we have now established that the law does cover this behaviour."
He further emphasized the legal implications for abusive behavior, saying:
"They need to understand that if their behaviour makes it foreseeable that what they're doing would cause a woman to take her own life and that happens and we can show the connection that one thing leads to another, then we will take action and you will find yourself being prosecuted for culpable homicide."
Details of Kimberly Milne's Death and Abuse
Kimberly Milne died at 28 years old after being struck by multiple vehicles on the A90 dual carriageway in Dundee in July 2023.
Police reported that Kimberly was "clearly terrified" of 40-year-old Lee Milne and that her death resulted from her attempting to escape him.
Lee Milne was also convicted of a separate domestic abuse charge involving several properties in Dundee.
Prosecutors detailed that Kimberly endured significant violence from Milne during the 18 months preceding her death. This abuse included choking, hair-pulling, physical strikes, shouting, and swearing.
Reflection on Past Cases and Societal Issues
John Logue acknowledged that in previous cases, the Crown Office may have failed to connect domestic abuse with subsequent suicides and did not pursue culpable homicide charges against offenders.
"So I'm afraid in the past probably there were cases where that hasn't been understood or investigated or dealt with in that way,"
he said.
Logue also discussed the prevalence of domestic violence cases in Scottish courts, noting they are heard daily across the country.
When asked about the reasons behind the high incidence of domestic abuse, he offered a personal perspective:
"I think I can give you a personal view on that. I think there is something wrong in society with the way that men, young men and boys treat women and girls.
"I suspect that some of that is behaviour that they see and are replicating and have been exposed to as children.
"And I think there's a degree of toleration in society for it. People will treat it as a private argument or it's 'everybody argues' or things like that. Really superficial understandings where it's easier to look the other way and not actually intervene."
He concluded by highlighting the limitations of the criminal justice system alone in addressing the broader societal treatment of women and girls:
"There is something I think broader than the criminal justice system's ability to fix the way women and girls are treated."
