"The issue of hate crimes is one which reaches down into every community, that effects real lives on a daily basis in a deeply harmful way,"

a quote from Green Party co-leader Patrick Harvie who steered the Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland) Bill through Holyrood as MSPs voted unanimously to pass the legislation a couple of months ago

In a BBC news report

Dr Paul Iganski, who lectures in criminology at Lancaster University, said the added aggravated element to some crimes reflected the greater harm inflicted by the offender.

Norman McBreen from Paisley was stabbed in a homophobic attack
"Clearly, when a person is targeted because of some aspects of their identity, in this case their disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity, evidence shows that it hurts victims more than identical crimes that are carried out for similar reasons," he said.

"Victims suffer particularly psychological or emotional harm and therefore offenders by getting an extra penalty are simply getting their just deserts - the greater the harm, the greater the penalty."


Scotland already had legislation giving religious-inspired crime the same status as racial crime and thus a longer jail sentence.

The First Minister in 2001, Henry McLeish, after visiting an Edinburgh mosque which had been the subect of fire-bomb attack stated -

"The floor where the children pray was melted. The stench of burnt plastic filled the air........these are hate crimes, by extremists and bigots and those who have no place in a modern Scotland."