Wife-beater ex-SNP MSP blasted for blaming VICTIMS for ending his career
'APPALLING' Wife-beater ex-SNP MSP blasted for blaming VICTIMS for ending his career
A FORMER MSP who was jailed for domestic abuse has blamed his victims for ending his political career.
Wife-beater Bill Walker, 83, also claims in his memoir he was the target of a 'vendetta'.
3
Disgraced former MSP Bill Walker leaves Dumfries Prison after serving half of his 12-month sentence for a catalogue of domestic abuse offences
Credit: Danny Lawson/PA Wire
3
Domestic abuse campaigners rallied outside the Scottish Parliament after he refused to give up his seat
Credit: Jeff3
Sneering Walker has blamed the victims of his violent crimes for ending his political career
The ex-SNP member for Dunfermline was caged for 12 months in 2013 after being convicted of 23 charges spanning 30 years.
They included battering three former spouses and a stepdaughter.
But in his self-published book, the unrepentant brute says: 'My former wives succeeded in ending prematurely my political life.'
He added that his victims had sought to 'discredit me and destroy the modest successes of my life'.
He claimed he penned the book 'to set the record straight'.
Danielle Secker bravely shares her story of horrific domestic abuse
But Tory MSP Sharon Dowey hit out: 'These shameful comments are the worst type of victim-blaming.
'Walker alone ended his career through his dreadful criminal behaviour, not the poor women on the receiving end of his abuse.'
A spokesman for the SNP, who expelled Walker in 2012, said last night: 'These are appalling comments.
"He should apologise to all those he wronged.'
Walker was contacted for comment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Readers' Letters: Israel/Gaza conflict shows Labour Party has lost it's moral compass
Readers are appalled innocents are dying daily in Gaza while the West does, apparently, little Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... On Sunday, Israel killed six children waiting in a queue for water. This follows on from the killing of 24 people on Saturday at a food distribution site. The silence of Keir Starmer and the Labour Party about these and many other atrocities is deafening. This contrasts starkly with Labour's over the top reaction to the Glastonbury chants, to the absurd decision to designate Palestine Action a terrorist group, and the demand by the ridiculous Lisa Nandy that BBC journalists be sacked. I have been a member of the Labour Party for 55 years but it appears that under the current leadership it has completely lost its moral compass. Robert Cairns, Ceres, Cupar, Fife Children queue with pots to receive meals from a charity kitchen in Gaza City yesterday (Picture: Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images) All talk Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As thousands join to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre (your report, 12 July), the latest missile attack by an Israeli drone on a group of civilians queuing for water is a timely reminder of such terror attacks on civilians. Ten killed including six children, many more die each day in separate attacks on civilian areas. Where is the justification? The West does nothing. Since 27 May, when US/Israeli-managed food distribution points were set up, over 600 have been killed and nearly 5,000 injured. Some describe it as genocide and ethnic cleansing. Israel has decided it can no longer live next to the people of Gaza. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu stated in May that all of Gaza will come under Israeli military control, while some within his government openly talk about starving its people. He backs Donald Trump's Riviera plan for a holiday haven for the super rich. The UN claimed that Israel is 'weaponising food aid' while the UK, France and Canada warned of 'further concrete actions' if the humanitarian position did not improve. Two months later the situation appears to have deteriorated. Where are these actions and how much longer must this continue? More than 55,000 killed and 120,000 injured yet the West continues to supply Israel with weapons. Neil Anderson, Edinburgh Keep out of it The SNP failed to get independence for Scotland for a very good reason, its arguments were very flawed. Fast forward to just now and the SNP is calling for a Palestinian state. What due diligence has the SNP done to assure Israelis that this is a safe thing to do? This entire current war is based upon Israel's fears for its own future. In keeping with the rest of us I am sure that the growing casualty toll in Gaza is intolerable, but given Hamas's prime function is to wipe Israel off the map would it not be more helpful to pressurise Hamas to give back all the hostages now rather than facilitate an aggressive state on Israel's border? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Independence for Scotland was never a serious consideration by the SNP even at the height of Nicola Sturgeon's powers, so surely meddling in international affairs is way beyond its pay grade. Why does it not just sort out the Scotland's ever growing number of SNP-self induced problems instead? Gerald Edwards, Glasgow Staying resolute Each day, more and more Palestinians are murdered in Gaza, a daily trickle dripping to a massacre, now amounting to over 58,000 and rising. Undoubtedly, far too many of those killed are innocent women and children, aid workers and medics. A new word has emerged from the ongoing catastrophe, namely 'simaud', meaning resilience, not giving up. At a time when Palestinians are not welcome in their own homes, they are all the more determined to stay, believing, against all the odds, that their resilience will eventually win the day. The Israeli government will, hopefully sooner rather than later, have to answer for their continuing war crimes, and face the consequences, not least Benjamin Netanyahu, who has even managed to alienate Donald Trump. One thing is for sure, the Palestinians' simaud will prevail, as the tide of world opinion turns in their favour. Ian Petrie, Edinburgh All or nothing Susan Dalgety articulates much of what I was thinking about the possibility of increasing the age at which you can get married in Scotland (Perspective, 12 July). One point in particular which she touches on needs to be articulated more – there needs to be consistency in when someone becomes an adult. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There is at best a contradiction, and at worst a hypocrisy, in saying that people aged 16 or 17 cannot get married, yet they are old enough to make adult decisions about how to vote. It needs to be all or nothing to have any credibility. Andrew Anderson, Forfar, Angus Be afraid After the 2026 election, we could face extremists in position of power in Scotland once again, and just think what that could mean. The Scottish Greens, for most of whose elected members a telephone box full of voters would be a triumph, could once more be in a position to get leading ministerial roles, due to the voting system used by Holyrood. The SNP will need them to cling to power. The others tend to cancel each other out. Think of the gender obsessions, the off-the-spectrum ideas that would embarrass a Primary Five class, the insane tax and spend policies, these and much more would be on the cards. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A vote for the SNP will bring Green rule to Scotland. Vote SNP and get Ross Greer & Co to decide your future. Alexander McKay, Edinburgh High-risk Brian Wilson is correct when he says 'Betting the house on offshore wind is a high-risk strategy', and he also advises that 'much of the ScotWind programme may never be built because lower cost alternatives may emerge' (Perspective, 11 July). A balanced energy policy cannot rely on renewables alone, but must retain nuclear and gas for base load electricity generation, with gas for heating – the alternatives are too expensive. Wilson hints at this aspect. Going all electric will increase peak day power generation by three times, which will require additional transmission and distribution lines, and we should also recognise this planet that we live on can cope with a reasonable increase in greenhouse gases. Cars will be electric, but we must retain hybrids for emergency vehicles, and to make certain of access to remote areas – diesel pick-up trucks and petrol chainsaws are a necessity as well, and don't forget about retaining oil as a feed stock – not imported oil. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Government needs to plan an energy policy which works for everyone and will also save the planet. James Macintyre, Linlithgow, West Lothian EV money The UK Government (the one scrabbling to close the £22 billion 'black hole' in its finances, many of whose politicians parrot the 'heat the house or put food on the table' mantra) is poised to announce a £700bn fund to encourage people to buy more electric cars. This includes paying for 'infrastructure' such as pavement gullies for cables to enable roadside charging, and grants to make electric vehicles cheaper to buy. This is seemingly one of the legendary 'tough decisions' for a country faced with a huge list of problems including rising poverty, a housing crisis due to poor supply and unaffordable prices, and cuts in care home staff. The climate is definitely changing, but how will £700 million on a few thousand more electric cars on UK roads solve that when the UK only contributes to 1 per cent of global warming. But we will experience, if we are to believe the forecasts, a massive impact, including floods, due to more rain and higher tides, fires and millions of immigrants fleeing drought and famine. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Economics and public spending is all about choices based on politics, risk and outcomes and £700m – almost certainly borrowed – would be better spent on shoring up public services, building good, cheap homes or planning and constructing proper defences from the predicted problems. Or is this more about shoring up Ed Miliband's defences and providing an 'off ramp' for car manufactures who face a £15,000 fine for every internal combustion car sold above their quota limit? Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire Robbed? After 'It's Scotland's oil', now it's 'Scotland's Renewables'. It's all part of the long-running 'we wuz robbed' farce, and the latest exponent is Jim Finlayson (Letters, 14 July). According to him, 'we are here to produce renewable energy and to put up with the costs without deriving any benefit'. Funnily enough, the one thing nationalists never mention in the energy debate is that renewables are heavily subsidised and that the majority of the funding for these subsidies comes from a levy on electricity suppliers which is then passed on to consumers throughout the UK through their electricity bills. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Certainly, Scottish consumers pay for this. But the vast bulk of the subsidies is paid for by consumers in the rest of the UK, some 62 million or more of them. The annual subsidy cost is £25.8bn – almost half of spending on defence – to replace cheap gas with expensive electricity. Since 2002, when subsidies were tiny, the cost to UK households of the subsidies has been almost £8,000 each. What would happen to the cost of electricity consumed by five million Scots if the subsidies for renewables were slashed by some 62m UK contributions? We certainly would not be better off. Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh Write to The Scotsman
STV News
3 hours ago
- STV News
Public's views sought on domestic abuser registration law
Public views are being sought for a new law that would create a register for perpetrators of domestic violence. The proposal was tabled by Scottish Tory MSP Pam Gosal and is currently being considered by the Criminal Justice Committee at Holyrood. If enacted, the Prevention of Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill would create a register of people who have been convicted of domestic abuse offences in the past and requires abusers to keep the state informed of their addresses and passport details. Among its other provisions, the Bill would also require schools to educate pupils on domestic abuse and relationships. Committee convener Audrey Nicoll said: 'Our committee is acutely aware of the devastating impact domestic abuse has on individuals, families and communities across Scotland, and the latest statistics on domestic abuse show the scale of this issue. 'This Bill presents a range of proposals aiming to prevent domestic abuse, including statutory data collection and improving school education, but we want to hear views from individuals and organisations on whether they support these proposals. 'We are particularly keen to hear from those with lived experience, their families and frontline professionals on if they agree with the proposals in this Bill, or if they feel other actions are required to tackle domestic abuse in Scotland.' The call for views will close on September 15. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Glasgow Times
3 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
'Women are at risk': Calls for single sex emergency spaces in Glasgow
On June 9, this year, 322 women were staying among the 40 hotels and B&Bs the council uses for emergency temporary accommodation. The number has been rising and increased from 271 in June 2024, an 18% rise in almost a year. READ NEXT:'I was attacked three times': Brave woman shares experience of homeless hotel Amid concerns for safety and reports of violence and sexual harassment, organisations have been calling for improved safeguards for women. Yesterday, the Glasgow Times reported how a woman said she had been physically attacked three times in one hotel and a friend told her she had been raped. Laura Jones, on behalf of Scottish Tenants Organisation, said there is a ratio of 14 men to one woman in hotels and has a petition being considered at the Scottish Parliament calling for women-only emergency accommodation spaces. (Image: newsquest) The petition calls for: 'The Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to reform homeless services in Scotland and ensure services protect women from sexual assault and exploitation by increasing funding and supporting the creation of more women-only homeless accommodation.' Ms Jones, said: 'There is a clear lack of safeguarding in emergency temporary accommodation in general, but very little attention has been paid to the specific challenges faced by women who are stuck in the homeless system. "Women are particularly at risk in mixed sex emergency accommodation and the hotels are notorious with increased reports of rapes and sexual assaults. 'We need secure women-only halfway accommodation that meets the specific needs of women with the objective of rapidly placing them in permanent social housing. 'As part of the Glasgow Times End the Homeless Hotel Shame campaign, and with official figures suggesting that the number of families living in homeless hotels and B&Bs quadrupled in 2024, we support calls for more emphasis to be placed on the affordable housing supply budget.' (Image: newsquest) READ NEXT: Council gets hundreds of legal threats a month over homelessness A petition set up by Ms Jones on the same issue has more than 30,000 signatures Calls have been echoed by Shelter Scotland and Engender, who produced a joint report with recommendations for women-only spaces. They stated: 'Homelessness services in Scotland often are not equipped to respond appropriately to women's specific needs, particularly around how to support women fleeing domestic abuse. 'In some cases, women are being put at significant risk of harm as a result. This acts as an additional barrier to these women being able to access support and realise their homelessness rights. All local authorities must reassess their homelessness services through a gendered lens and put women's safety at the centre of their approach. A key recommendation was: 'Local Authorities must seek to increase the supply of Temporary Furnished Flats to prevent the use of B&Bs, hotels and hostels as being used as TA for women and their children.' READ NEXT: Outcome of inspections at 8 of Glasgow's homeless hotels revealed The Scottish Government said it has allocated an extra £2.5m to the Delivering Equally Safe, taking the total to £21.6m for the current year. THe Petirions Commitee asked for clarification on the allocation of funding. In a letter to the committee, the Scottish Government stated:The 2025-26 budget provides local government in Scotland with record funding of over £15.1 billion, a real terms increase of 5.5% and this follows on from the real terms increase of 2.5% provided in 2024-25. "However, the Scottish Government's policy towards local authorities' spending is to allow local authorities the financial freedom to operate independently. As such, the vast majority of funding is provided through the local government finance settlement by means of a block grant. 'It is then the responsibility of individual local authorities to manage their own budgets and to allocate the total financial resources available to them, including on women-only homelessness services, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.' A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: 'The council has rejected the idea of creating single sex bed and breakfast accommodation due to the potential for these establishments being targeted by predatory males. 'In relation to the use of bed and breakfast type accommodation for single women, we have worked with wider partners and the owners of these properties to put in place safeguarding policies that reflect the risks in relation to Violence Against Women and Girls. 'We also work with Police Scotland and the owners of bed and breakfast type accommodation to respond robustly to any risks to women from predatory behaviour.'
