Homicide in the West of Scotland

Abstract

Summary: Between 1953 and 1974 the author made psychiatric examinations for the prosecution of 400 persons, 367 males and 33 females, accused of the murders of 307 victims, 194 males and 113 females. The 367 males were accused of 273 murders, 172 male and 101 female victims, and the 33 females were accused of 34 murders, 22 male and 12 female victims. The salient features amongst the accused were maleness, youthfulness, the causal importance of alcohol, the rarity of suicide after murder and the high percentage of psychiatrically normal persons: in these last two respects the picture differed from that reported in England and Wales. The normality of these Scottish accused was further shown by the finding that in the decade 1965 to 1974 no material psychiatric abnormality was seen in 90 per cent of the males examined.