Remit and terms of reference
The Sexual Offences Working Group Committee will support the Scottish Sentencing Council in its preparation of sentencing guidelines on sexual offences.
The Committee will oversee all aspects of the development of the guidelines until submission to the High Court and will give consideration thereafter to ongoing monitoring of the guidelines. The Council will specify the expected lifetime of the committee. This may be reviewed and, if appropriate, amended by the Council during the committee’s lifetime. The Committee’s work will include, in particular:
- making recommendations to the Council as to the scope, content, and approach of the guidelines
- identifying knowledge and information gaps relevant to the development of the guidelines, submitting any proposals for research to the Research Committee
- reviewing draft guidelines prepared by the secretariat, providing advice and direction as required while having regard to any guideline methodology and drafting style agreed by the Council
- supporting engagement with relevant stakeholders at all stages of the guideline development process
- overseeing the judicial and public consultation process, including the preparation of consultation documents and impact assessments
The Committee will report regularly to the Council on the progress of guideline development, making recommendations and, where appropriate, referring significant or potentially controversial decisions to the Council.
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Krista Johnston
Committee member
Krista is the Council's solicitor member.
Krista Johnston is a graduate of law from Edinburgh University. She joined More and Co, Dunfermline, in 1992, specialising in criminal defence work. Along with others she founded the firm of Martin, Johnston and Socha in 1998. Her firm continues to concentrate exclusively on criminal defence work and has expanded to include offices in Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Alloa.
In 2007 Krista became a solicitor advocate in the field of crime and has since enjoyed instruction from a number of solicitor firms across Scotland. She appears regularly in the High Court conducting criminal trials, and also appears in the appellate courts.
Krista is a member of the Society of Solicitor Advocates and Fortis Chambers.
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The Hon. Lord Matthews
Committee member
Lord Matthews is the Council's Senator member.
Lord Matthews was appointed a judge of the Supreme Courts in 2007, having served as a temporary judge since February 2004. He graduated from the University of Glasgow LL.B (Hons), and was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in July 1979. He was appointed as a Queen's Counsel in 1992 and practised at the Bar until his appointment as a sheriff in January 1997. He was Standing Junior Counsel to the Department of Employment in Scotland from June 1984 until March 1988, and served as an advocate depute from April 1988 until January 1993.
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Sheriff McIntyre
Advisor
Sheriff McIntyre was the Council's Summary Sheriff member between 2017-2018 until his appointment as sheriff. Sheriff McIntyre sits on the Sexual Offences Committee as an adviser by invitation of the Council.
Sheriff Andrew McIntyre is a graduate of the University of Glasgow. He undertook his training as a solicitor at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Edinburgh and then with the Procurator Fiscal at Glasgow. He went on to serve as a procurator fiscal in a number of capacities for more than 16 years until his appointment as one of the first summary sheriffs in April 2016. His term automatically ended when he was appointed as a sheriff in the sheriffdom of North Strathclyde in 2018.
During his career in the prosecution service, he undertook a number of senior roles across Scotland and at the Crown Office. Between 2007 and 2010 he was head of victim policy at Crown Office where he advised the law officers and developed prosecution policy on matters such as sexual crime, domestic abuse, hate crime and vulnerable witnesses. Between 2012 and 2015 he was the senior prosecutor with responsibility for sheriff and jury trials across the North of Scotland. In this last role, he was also appointed as a specialist human trafficking prosecutor. He also undertook secondments with the Commission for Racial Equality (as it then was) and with Lord Carloway on his review of aspects of criminal procedure in Scotland.
