A “sickening” sexual assault on a young Fife mother has again highlighted the need for tougher sentencing powers in Scotland, the Conservatives have said.
Tory leader Annabel Goldie demanded an end to the automatic early release of prisoners after raising the case of Methil men Stuart Hughes and William Williamson during First Minister’s questions at Holyrood on Thursday.
Both men were jailed for six years at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday for the “horrific” attack, in which they trussed up the victim with cables and assaulted her with various objects.
The woman was urinated on and her attackers wrote on her skin and encouraged children in the flat to take part in the incident.
Ms Goldie pointed out that, despite the six-year sentence, the pair would be out of jail within four years or possibly three due to the policy of automatic early release.
She called on First Minister Alex Salmond to explain why he had repeatedly voted against moves by her party to end the practice, despite including a pledge to do so in his 2007 manifesto.
“This week in Scotland two men were convicted of a sickening sexual assault on a woman,” she said.
“Horrifically, two young boys … were forced to observe and participate.”
She called on the First Minister to state how long the two men would serve in jail.
Mr Salmond replied, “As Annabel Goldie well knows, that is a matter for the courts and the other authorities.
“The separation between the justice system and the political process is highly important in any society.”
However, Ms Goldie insisted action had to be taken by politicians.
“What is astonishing, and also deeply troubling, is the First Minister’s ignorance on an issue that is so serious,” she said.
“In the First Minister’s manifesto for 2007 he actually promised to end automatic release.
“The public is sick and tired of political parties doing U-turns and cart wheels on pledges and commitments.
“For the Scottish Conservatives, bringing back honesty in sentencing is a priority.”
Mr Salmond said automatic early release had been originally introduced in Scotland by a Conservative government.
“The sentence structure in Scotland has substantially improved, as has victim support, as has the consultation with victims on future sentences,” he added.
Under the current system, prisoners sentenced to less than four years gain automatic early release after serving half their sentence.
Prisoners jailed for four years or more can apply for parole at half sentence.
Those who fail at that stage serve no more than two-thirds of the term imposed.
However, after that stage they remain on licence for the remainder of their sentence.
Hughes (34), of Taylor Street, and Williamson (26), of Wellesley Road, both Methil, had denied the crimes.
But a jury unanimously found them guilty of committing the offences at the woman’s Fife home on January 15 last year.
In addition to the jail time they were both placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.