The deadly scourge of Class A drugs and the prevalence of female offenders have been highlighted as key concerns for society by a highly respected Scottish sheriff on his departure from the bench after more than two decades.
Stepping down as one of the country’slongest-serving single-court judges,Sheriff Kevin Veal said he had beensaddened to see the number of people caught up in the “vicious cycle” of the drugs culture, particularly heroin abuse.
He also expressed the hope apioneering Tayside project will help turn the growing number of women away from a life of criminality which he says is often the result of their choice of partner.
Some 21 years after being appointedresident judge at Forfar, Sheriff Veal retired at the beginning of a new era for Angusjustice administration following last week’s closure of Arbroath Sheriff Court and the transfer of business from there to Forfar.
The 67-year-old expressed confidence the Angus court would “continue toprosper” under his successor, Sheriff GregorMurray, and through the collaborative approach of all aspects of the justiceservice which he said had been a hallmark of his time at Forfar.
However, he used part of his retirement address to focus on two issues that are a majorconcern for himself and wider society.
“One is my despair about the continuing availability of illicit drugs and especially Class A drugs,” said Sheriff Veal.“It may be that, with the A90 passing right through this jurisdiction, a lot of drugs find their way here.
“What I cannot exclude from my mind is the heavy cross of sorrow and pain that is so unnecessarily inflicted upon people and families from every walk of life in society.
“Difficult though it may be, parents must try to keep a close watch on their children, including the selection of friendships that the children may make, and help to guide them through the difficult adolescent years when involvement with illicit substances may be surfacing.”
He added: “The other is the appearance in court of so many female offenders.
“When I was appearing as a solicitorregularly in Dundee Sheriff Court in the early 1970s, I doubt if there would be any more than one single female accused per month in the dock.
“Nowadays, there is scarcely a singleday when there is not a female offender appearing.”
He added: “That is why I am entirelysupportive of the Glen Isla woman’s project,which our local social work criminal justice team has established.
“If this project bears fruit and issuccessful, then it can only augur well as an important step towards the rehabilitation of so many of our female offenders.”
The sheriff said: “For those of usprivileged to be brought up and nurtured in a loving and caring family environment, we have to constantly keep in mind that not every child is so privileged.
“May we never lose sight of the fact that the people we see in the dock on a daily basis are someone else’s cherished spouse, brother or sister, son or daughter, aunt or uncle and our fellow human being, to whom we must, difficult though it may be, accord genuine respect.
“In theological terms, that would beidentified as the recognition that every human and every single person who appears in court is created in the image and likeness of Almighty God, something that must never be overlooked or forgotten.”
The Glen Isla project in Angus has receivedmore than £200,000 of Scottish Government funding to help support the development ofa programme aimed at tackling the complexissues surrounding women offenders.