Scotland domestic abuse victim jailed for refusing to admit husband hit her

Edinburgh: A domestic violence victim in Scotland was sent to 14 days in jail for refusing to admit in the court that her husband had physically assaulted her. She was released after her solicitor filed an appeal against the conviction at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.

According to a report in Mirror, victim Donna Kiddie gave a statement to the police, stating that her husband Jonathan Kiddie had on May 7 hit her on the head, following which she fell down and sustained injuries.

However, she later sent emails to procurator fiscal (local coroner and public prosecutor in Scotland) retracting her earlier statement. In one email, she claimed her husband did not hit her, but she fell down due to a "collision" with him. In another email, she again accepted that Jonathan had assaulted her.

“This is the first time he has assaulted me and it’s completely out of character for him,” Donna, 40, said in the email.

During trials in the court, Donna claimed she didn't remember the events of May 7. She was also evasive about the questions asked by Scottish Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane, who sent her to jail for refusing to cooperate.

The court’s action was condemned by some people, including Scottish Labour’s justice spokeswoman Claire Baker, who said the order would only deter domestic violence victims from speaking against the abuse.

"There are already concerns that domestic abuse in Scotland is under-reported as victims are all too often scared or unwilling to come forward. At a time when we should be looking to encourage those who receive abuse to speak out, this case will have done nothing to help and may instead act as a deterrent,” Baker said.

Donna is a mother of two and a biology teacher at one of the top state schools near Glasgow. Her husband Jonathan is the principal solicitor at Renfrewshire Law Centre in Paisley. The couple lives in Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland.