20 January 2021, General
We are pleased to announce Lesley Weber has been appointed to the Scottish Sentencing Council as Victims Expert member.
Lesley, a qualified social worker, joined the RMA in September 2020 as our Head of Effective Practice, having spent the last 13 years in London specialising in domestic abuse, the wider violence against women and girls (VAWG) agenda, and public protection. Lesley has brought her wealth of experience to her role at RMA, where her work focuses on advancing evidence-based effective and ethical practice. We are thrilled to announce that in January 2020, Scottish Ministers, in consultation with the Lord Justice General, appointed Lesley as the new Victims Expert member of the Scottish Sentencing Council.
“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to bring my experience of working with victims and survivors to the Scottish Sentencing Council, supporting in the development of sentencing guidelines and policy. I also see this as an excellent opportunity to enhance collaboration between the Risk Management Authority and Scottish Sentencing Council.”
At RMA, Lesley leads the newly established Effective Practice team. The team monitor proposed changes to legislation and procedure, assessing impact, and making recommendations to the Scottish Government and, where appropriate, other agencies. Amongst other things, the team also initiate external policy review, draft policies, and make recommendations for reform, while contributing to the development and amendment of internal policies.
“I am delighted that Lesley has been appointed to the Scottish Sentencing Council as their victims expert. Lesley brings with her extensive knowledge and experience of this important area of work and will be a real asset to the work of the Council. The RMA looks forward to working closely with the SSC as they develop a range of guidelines to support the development of policy, consistency and understanding of sentencing.”
The Scottish Sentencing Council carries out a range of work concerning sentencing in Scotland, including preparing sentencing guidelines for the courts, publishing guideline judgments issued by the courts, and providing advice and information about sentences handed down by the courts. The council is currently is developing guidelines in relation to the sentencing of young people, causing death by driving, and sexual offences (with an initial focus on indecent images, rape, and sexual assault).
“I would like to congratulate Lesley Weber on her appointment and I look for working with her in what will be an important and busy year for the Council. In particular Lesley’s experience in working with victims and survivors will be invaluable as we continue with our work programme and look forward to a new business plan which will be published later in the year.”