Our rapists should admit guilt before they get parole

It said all relevant information was taken into account.

Ellie Wilson’s rapist was sentenced to five years in prison in July 2022.

Like many prisoners, he is entitled by law to be considered for parole once he has served half his sentence.

Ellie is due to find out this month whether he will be released under supervision.

Over the summer she received a letter asking if she wanted to make representations to the parole board ahead of his possible release.

Ellie told BBC Scotland News that the parole system was confusing.

She said: “The criteria with which they make decisions about parole isn’t clear to see, it’s not clear to understand, it’s certainly not made clear to the victims going through the system.”

She said there should be better public scrutiny about how decisions are reached.

The board’s website says it will consider the likelihood of reoffending by taking account of the nature of the offence, previous convictions, attitude and response in prison and reports from prison staff and social work reports.

Hannah McLaughlan’s rapist was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison in 2023.

Hannah said rapists who don’t show remorse and accountability should not get parole.

She said: “We need that validation – that you (the rapist) are actually taking accountability for what you did to us.”

Hannah has urged people in power to listen to survivors.

Both women have teamed up to call for three changes:

Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, said the parole process “is often not explained clearly, contributing to further trauma and stress”.

She added that there was an opportunity “to more clearly articulate how parole decisions are reached”.