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Iain Gray comments on Noel Ruddle case
03/08/1999
Following the absolute discharge of former State patient Noel Ruddle yesterday, Scottish Community Care Minister Iain Gray has today outlined what further action the Scottish Executive is taking on the implications of the case.
Minister for Community Care Iain Gray said:
"The Government is determined to move ahead quickly with the work of reviewing the legal framework under which Mr Ruddle was detained. Following consultation with myself and the Deputy First Minister, the First Minister has today written to Lord Maclean asking his committee to look specifically at the Ruddle case, as part of their overall review on sentencing and treatment of serious violent and sexual offenders.
"We have also asked Lord Maclean to assess whether his committee can bring forward their recommendations this year - ahead of their planned report in early 2000. We do not want to rush into new legislation that fails to fully address modern sentencing requirements - but we recognise the public concern over this issue.
"Since Mr Ruddle was originally convicted in 1992, our courts have acquired new powers. These include hospital directions. These allow someone convicted of a serious offence, with a mixture of treatable and untreatable mental illness, to be transferred to prison once their hospital care is completed. That has been a start towards addressing this kind of situation. We hope and expect that Lord Maclean's recommendations will provide us with a comprehensive view on how we should handle serious offenders with personality disorders. If that means changing the law, then this Scottish Executive will take swift action to do so.
"In England, Jack Straw has outlined proposals for handling people with personality disorders. It is likely that any changes to Scottish legislation proposed by Lord Maclean's committee will match the timetable south of the border.
"In the meantime, there is no 'queue' of patients with appeals in the Sheriff court. Each State patient has the right each year to appeal against their sentence. But each and every case is judged on its merits."
News Release: SE0216/99
3 August, 1999