The #MeToo Movement, Feminist Influence, and the Broken Justice System in Scotland:A Wife’s Perspective 

In 2017, the #MeToo movement exploded globally, drawing attention to the sexual harassment and assault that so many women face. What was initially a powerful call for justice, has, over time, become entwined with a shift in Scotland’s judicial practices when it comes to sexual offences. As the wife of a wrongfully imprisoned man, I have seen how these changes in the legal landscape have not only affected my family but also contributed to a broken system that now throws innocent men in prisons. This shift has been largely driven by the increased influence of feminist organizations like Women’s Aid and Refuge, who, along with the SNP, have helped shape the legal climate in ways that have distorted the search for justice.

The #MeToo movement laid the groundwork for greater sensitivity to sexual offences, but over time, it became a tool that was used to alter legal frameworks in a way that has eroded fundamental human rights of men. What began as a movement to support victims has turned into a political and legal force that, when combined with the aggressive application of the Moorov Doctrine and Sections 274 and 275, has led to serious miscarriages of justice.

The Rise of Feminist Influence: How Changes Began to Align

As the #MeToo movement gained momentum, feminist groups became more vocal in their demands for justice for survivors. But with that influence came changes to the legal landscape in Scotland that I now see were dangerous. The SNP, seeking to align with these groups, embraced the push for policies that would increase the conviction rates in sexual offence cases. But what no one seemed to care about was the impact this would have on the fairness of trials and the way evidence was treated in court.

The first key change began to take shape in 2017 when Lord Carloway’s review of the Scottish justice system recommended abolishing corroboration in sexual offence cases. Though this was met with opposition, it signaled a shift toward weakening the safeguards in the legal system - particularly in relation to sexual offences. The push to remove corroboration was about making it easier to secure convictions, but what it ignored was the protection that corroboration had historically provided to ensure that the accused were not wrongfully convicted. This was the first sign that the system was being altered in a way that would benefit political and activist agendas, rather than justice.

The Expansion of Moorov: A Legal Tool Turned into a Weapon

Following Carloway’s review, the Crown Office began increasingly relying on the Moorov Doctrine, a legal principle that allows allegations from different people or incidents to be linked together as part of a "course of conduct." This principle, originally designed for cases where there was direct corroboration, started to be used aggressively, particularly in sexual offence cases where there was no concrete evidence to support the claims.

By 2018, the use of Moorov had expanded rapidly. Allegations that had once been considered too weak to prosecute were now being linked together under this doctrine. The time gaps between the alleged incidents began to grow longer, and prosecutors started to present these allegations as part of an overarching pattern, even when the connections between them were vague. The doctrine, which was intended to be a safeguard against wrongful convictions, was now being used as a tool to secure convictions despite a lack of hard evidence.

In 2019, as high-profile sexual offence trials began to dominate the headlines, the use of Moorov in these cases became routine. The absence of corroborative evidence, once a major obstacle to a conviction, became less important. Courts were increasingly willing to accept multiple accusations, presented under the guise of a “pattern,” as sufficient grounds for conviction. This marked a critical turning point, as the Scottish justice system’s focus shifted from safeguarding the rights of the accused to securing convictions at any cost.

The Role of Feminist Organizations and Police: Shaping the Narrative and Coaching Accusers

While these shifts were unfolding in the courts, feminist organizations (I will mention here Women’s Aid and Refuge, due to personal experience, but there's more) were gaining increasing power and influence over public discourse and policy. These organizations, which initially provided vital support to survivors, began to exert more direct influence over the legal process itself. I know from experience that they have coached women on how to present their testimonies in court, providing guidance on what to emphasize and what to leave out. This guidance is framed as support for survivors, but it is clear to me that it has become part of a broader effort to ensure convictions, regardless of the facts.

Erin Pizzey, the founder of Refuge, walked away from the organization in 2019, citing her disillusionment with the toxic and politicized environment that had overtaken the group. Her departure was a stark reminder that what had started as an effort to help victims of domestic violence had become a politically charged movement that, in most cases, was more interested in achieving political outcomes than in providing fair support for the real victims.

But it doesn’t stop there. I also know that police are actively involved in coaching accusers, sometimes going back multiple times to change their statements and alter key details. Dates, times, and other crucial facts have been modified to fit the desired narrative. This isn’t just an isolated incident - it has become a pattern in many cases. Police officers are pushed by their superiors to achieve conviction targets (?!) and as a result they will often pursue any man - working with accusers to refine their testimonies, altering timeframes and details to ensure the accusations line up with the charges. This is a disturbing abuse of power, as it undermines the integrity of the entire investigation, trial process and police force in general.

The Dangerous Role of Sections 274 and 275

In addition to the influence of the #MeToo movement and feminist groups, there has been a noticeable increase in the use of Sections 274 and 275, which relate to evidence of a "course of conduct" in sexual offence cases. These sections, when used in combination with Moorov, have made it even easier to secure convictions in cases where the evidence is weak or non-existent, giving prosecutors the ability to bring together multiple, disparate accusations to create a narrative that is often not rooted in truth and the jury will never hear/see the full picture, only what suits the prosecution's narrative.

As the courts began relying more heavily on these tools, it became clear that the legal system was moving further away from the principle of "beyond a reasonable doubt" in favour of securing convictions. It’s no longer about ensuring that the accused is guilty based on concrete evidence - it's about using any means necessary to convict, even if that means stretching the law to its breaking point. This is not justice - it’s a system built to meet political and activist goals, rather than the pursuit of truth.

The Disgusting Trend of "Victimhood" for Attention and Money Making Machine

In the wake of these changes, it has also become increasingly frustrating and downright disgusting to see how some women have begun to exploit their alleged victimhood for attention and personal gain. Take the most recent example of Ellie Wilson - someone who seems to believe that posing for photos and posting it all over social media somehow makes her 'empowered'. All it does, however, is reassure me that she is more interested in likes and attention than actually addressing the real issues Real Victims face. This kind of performative victimhood is a slap in the face to those who have genuinely suffered and are seeking justice. And while Wilson's disgusting behaviour is out in the open for everyone to see, let's not forget about the 5000 other Scottish women who made compensation claims and £50 million spent by the Scottish government in the last 5 years alone. It is troubling to see how, for some, being a victim has become a commodity - a way to gain fame or make money, rather than a painful experience that demands respect and a fair process.

The Impact on My Family and the Broken System

As a result of these combined shifts in the legal and political landscape, innocent people - like my fiance (I call him my husband, but on the day we were meant to get married, he was giving evidence in court and we never actually got to say I do) - have found themselves wrongfully imprisoned. The aggressive use of the Moorov Doctrine, combined with the erosion of safeguards like corroboration and the influence of Sections 274 and 275, created an environment where allegations, regardless of their strength or evidence, can be treated as irrefutable facts. My husband’s wrongful conviction not only broke the lives of our whole family, but also opened our eyes to how deeply broken the system has become and that truth holds no meaning in court. The way the courts now operate has shifted away from a search for truth and toward a system that is focused on securing convictions, at all cost.

Courts are now more likely to accept historical allegations, even those separated by decades, and treat them as evidence of a pattern. This has left innocent men vulnerable to conviction based on nothing more than uncorroborated false allegations, from women looking for money or fame. The legal system has become a tool to achieve political and activist agendas, rather than a space where justice is fairly sought.

Conclusion: A Shift That Has Gone Too Far

What I have learned through my husband’s wrongful imprisonment is that Scotland’s justice system has undergone a fundamental transformation over the past few years - one that has undermined the very principles of fairness and due process. The influence of the #MeToo movement, combined with the increasing power of feminist organizations and the aggressive application of the Moorov Doctrine, Sections 274 and 275, has led to a system where innocent men are being convicted without solid (very often any), corroborative evidence. This is not justice; it is quite the opposite - it's a miscarriage of justice.

The changes that began in 2017 with the Carloway Review and were solidified in subsequent years have broken the system that was once designed to protect the innocent. My husband’s case is just one of many where the outcome has been determined by political and activist agendas rather than the pursuit of truth. It is time to demand a return to a justice system that protects the rights of all individuals, that ensures fair trials, and that holds perpetrators of all genders accountable. Only then can we rebuild trust in a system that has been irrevocably damaged.