Commenting on the Scottish Government’s plans to set up a Scottish Sentencing Council, Liberal Democrat Justice spokesperson Robert Brown MSP said:

“Improving sentencing guidelines is a sound idea in principle, but it’s nonsense to spin this as some kind of public forum on sentencing.

“The purpose of the Scottish Sentencing Council is to approve sentencing guidelines used by the judiciary in day-to-day practice to achieve more consistency in sentencing. It is right that this body should be made up of a whole range of groups, including groups that represent victims.

“This whole issue is too serious to be the subject of yet more SNP spin.”