Rape survivors campaign for parole system reform
Ellie Wilson and Hannah McLaughlan are calling for survivors to have more of a voice
A rape survivor from Glasgow is launching a campaign to give victims more of a voice in the parole system.
Ellie Wilson was raped by her then-boyfriend Daniel McFarlane while they were both students at the University of Glasgow.
In 2022 he was sentenced to five years behind bars, but this week he will be up for parole.
Ellie said she was shocked when she received a letter from the Scottih Prison Service (SPS) informing her he would soon be considered for parole.
"I honestly just couldn't believe it"
She said: “I honestly just couldn’t believe it was all happening so soon, I mean it feels like just yesterday that he went to prison, and when I got that letter in the summer, my heart just sank.”
She described the process as “non-sensical”, adding: “After enduring a traumatic trial and numerous attempts from him to appeal, the fact I’m having to deal with this so soon feels profoundly unjust.
“The process of going to trial was confusing and disempowering and going through the parole process now is no different.
“No one has fully explained the process to me, and I don’t know what, if any, rights I have.”
"Non-sensical"
She finished: “The parole system as it stands is not fit for purpose.
“Victims are treated as an afterthought and their needs, wellbeing, and safety are not accounted for.
“If we truly want to have a compassionate and trauma-informed justice system, we need to ensure victims are supported after their case concludes and that their voices are heard.
“Those who are brave enough to come forward deserve better.’
Ellie will be joined in the campaign by fellow survivor Hannah McLaughlan, whose rapist was jailed for nine and a half years in 2023.
"Not fit for purpose"
The pair are bidding to make the parole system more victim centred, with information more readily shared, and whether or not an offender has admitted guilt being taken into account.
Hannah said: “Sitting at sentencing hearing the judge sentence my abuser and rapist to nine and a half years in prison I felt a sense of relief, knowing I would have adequate time to process and heal from the trauma I endured - not only from my abuser but also from the system.
“Yet now as I’m watching what Ellie is going through, I’m terrified of what’s to come for me in just a few years’ time.
“My rapist could be released early too, despite never having acknowledged his guilt.”
It is an issue Lisa Stewart from Ayrshire is also familiar with, having been campaigning for seven years for changes to the system.
"I'm terrified of what's to come"
Her sister Michelle was killed by John Wilson in Drongan in 2008, and he has been denied parole three times since then.
Lisa says he has never shown any remorse for Michelle’s murder.
She said: “I strongly believe that where someone doesn’t admit their guilt, or show remorse, that they’re still in the same frame of mind that they were when they committed the crime.”
She said she recognises the experience Ellie describes, adding: “They don’t seem to want to make changes to the parole system, they seem to believe it works, and it clearly doesn’t, and I think people need to make their experiences known in order for the government to take note.”
She finished: “Once the offender gets jailed, you think that’s it, and they’re going to serve their sentence.
“It was sad to see that they Ellie and Hannah had a similar experience where, one day out of the blue, they had been notified that the offender was being considered for parole.”
"They don't seem to want to make changes"
Ellie and Hannah have three main asks on their campaign:
- If an offender continues to deny guilt, the parole board must give weight to this when making decisions about release.
- Victims who are signed up to the VNS must have their rights regarding the parole process clearly explained to them once that process starts, and they should also be given access to information which clearly explains the parole process.
- If an oral parole hearing takes place, victims must be given the right to attend if they choose.
The pair gave evidence in January this year to The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee on the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform Bill. While the Bill plans for extensive reforms to the Criminal Justice System, it does not include any changes to the parole process.
"We will take their views seriously"
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “My thoughts remain with Ellie and Hannah, who have endured horrific experiences, and we will take their views seriously.
“There have been a number of victim-centred reforms to the parole process implemented in recent years and I am always open to building on those to improve the experience of victims.
“The Parole Board, which is independent of Ministers, has a critical leadership role in driving improvement in transparency and understanding of the parole process - in fact they are required by the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014 to have regard to the involvement and wellbeing of victims as they carry out their functions. Decisions on individual cases are a matter for the Parole Board for Scotland.
“In October we announced proposed changes to the Victim Notification Scheme so victims can receive improved support, advice and information. The reforms include creating a Victim Contact Team to give personalised support to victims throughout the justice process.
“This would mean, for example, if the Parole Board gets in touch with a victim for the purposes of making representations, this would be based on a foundation of trust already developed between the contact team and the victim.
“The amount of information available to victims about the offender involved, which includes information about their release, will also be expanded.”