Mockery of Justice

A murder trial has been taking place at the High Court in Glasgow for the past couple of weeks which - to my mind - makes a complete mockery of Scotland's criminal justice system.

One young man - Craig Roy - is accused of murdering another - Jack Frew in May 2010.

The person accused of murder denies the charge - but has admitted killing the victim.

According to a pathologist - which gave evidence to the court yesterday - Jack Frew was stabbed no less than 20 times, he had his throat cut and suffered 'defensive wounds' to his right hand - almost certainly as he sought to fend off blows from the knife that killed him.

Yet his killer denies murder and puts the victim's family through all the horrors of a trial - never mind the cost to the public purse of presenting all the evidence in the case.

Not only that the accused - Craig Roy - appears at court each day accompanied by his mother and other members of own family.

So he must be free to walk the streets even though he has committed a grievous crime by his own admission - notwithstanding the charge of murder which has still to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

Now I can't really follow the logic of that - maybe the accused is not regarded as a threat to others - but he has admitted killing another defenceless human being - and stands accused of murdering his victim. 

To have allowed this young man his freedom since May 2010 - seems to send out all the wrong signals to me given all the circumstances involved - and I imagine the young victim's family feels exactly the same way.