SCOTTISH Labour has vowed to “strengthen the justice system” should it win office in May’s Holyrood elections.

The pledge came today as figures revealed that of the 897 people convicted in 2023-24 under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act, 18 faced no punishment, 61 were admonished by the judge, 453 were given a community payback order and just 162 were jailed.

Scottish Labour justice spokeswoman Pauline McNeill said: “The SNP’s soft touch approach to justice is allowing abusers to dodge jail and avoid rehabilitation.

“Scottish Labour is ready to strengthen our justice system so it can tackle the rising tide of violence against women and ensure all of our public services are working to prevent crime and stop misogynistic attitudes taking hold.”

A Scottish government spokeswoman responded: “Domestic abuse is abhorrent and has a devastating impact on those affected.

“To eradicate violence against women and children, our draft Budget for 2026-27 allocates £21.6m for the delivering equally safe fund, supporting 115 projects.

“We are also investing £12m between 2025-27 for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence.”