ANYONE convicted of a crime in Scotland and who is fined by the courts will have to pay a surcharge on their fine to pay for a new victim support fund.
The new financial penalty will be imposed on all criminals who are sentenced to pay a court fine for offences committed from today onwards. The money raised will be banked in the Victim Surcharge Fund.
Victim support organisations will be able to apply to the fund to cover the costs of providing short-term and practical support such as new windows and locks for the victims of housebreaking victims, or funeral expenses for families of murder victims.
It is anticipated that payments from the fund will start to be made in six to 12 months’ time once offences committed from today onwards are dealt with by the courts. In the financial year 2017-18, a total of 38,474 fines were ordered by Scotland’s courts.
The new surcharges will be £10 on a fine of up to £200, £20 on a fine between £200.01 and £500, £40 on a fine from £500.01 to £1000, £75 on a fine from £1000.01 to £2500, £175 on a fine from £2500.01 to £5000, £350 on a fine from £5000.01 to £10,000 while anyone fined more than £10,000 will have to pay a surcharge of 7.5% of the fine. Lawyers have already warned that these new surcharges will be levied on all fines, including health and safety cases.
Commenting on the introduction of surcharges, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Experiencing crime can be an isolating and frightening experience and we are committed to improving the experiences of victims in our justice system.
“It’s only right that criminals should pay towards helping victims to recover and move on with their lives. The money raised through the surcharge will pay for practical support that will make a real difference to victims and their families.
“While Scotland’s long-term fall in crime means fewer people fall prey to criminals, we are continuing to invest £18 million annually to improve support, advice and information for victims. This new fund will be a valuable addition to support available.
“Over the coming year we will also be carrying out further work to better understand where the gaps are in how Scotland supports victims and witnesses,” he added.
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