Scottish Parliament backs amendment toward 'Suzanne's Law' but rejects 'no body, no parole' rule

The Scottish Parliament has unanimously backed an amendment to the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill that requires the Parole Board to take into account a murderer’s refusal to disclose the location of a victim’s body when considering release.

Proponents described the measure as a "first step" toward what campaigners have termed "Suzanne’s Law," though attempts to impose an outright "no body, no parole" rule were defeated. The move elicited relief from the families of two murder victims whose remains have never been found but drew criticism from opponents who said the parliamentary outcome fell short of delivering a firm guarantee that killers who withhold information will remain incarcerated.

Liberal Democrat MSP Jamie Greene, who lodged the amendment that won unanimous backing, said the change "delivers Suzanne’s Law" and read a joint statement from the sisters of Suzanne Pilley and Arlene Fraser expressing support. The statement said the amendment "is a first step" and that, while it might not result in finding the two women, it offered the families a sense of peace that those convicted of the murders "could be kept behind bars."

Suzanne Pilley was murdered in 2010 by a work colleague, David Gilroy, who received a life sentence and has repeatedly refused to reveal the location of her remains. Arlene Fraser disappeared in 1998; her husband, Nat Fraser, has been convicted twice of her murder, and her body has not been recovered. Campaigners compared the Scottish move to "Helen's Law" in England and Wales, named after Helen McCourt, who disappeared in 1988; her mother, Marie McCourt, campaigned for legislation to deny parole to killers in so-called no-body cases.

Victim Support Scotland welcomed the amendment. Chief executive Kate Wallace said the change "means that the parole board must consider whether a murderer has shared information or revealed the location of their victim’s remains" and described the measure as "the most workable and practical solution" that can become law. She urged people to engage with an ongoing Scottish Government consultation on parole, saying it offered further opportunities for victims to share their views.

Not all MSPs were satisfied. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay proposed an amendment that would have barred the Parole Board from releasing a prisoner if the victim’s remains had not been recovered. That amendment failed by 71 votes to 45. Findlay called the SNP’s refusal to back his proposal a "massive missed opportunity" and warned that allowing the Parole Board merely to "take into account" non-disclosure could be rendered meaningless by legal challenge. He said: "Allowing a killer to walk free while refusing to reveal a victim’s location is despicably cruel."

Justice Secretary Angela Constance defended the government’s position, saying Jamie Greene’s amendment "will strengthen the factors that the Parole Board, and where relevant Scottish ministers, must take into account when considering release and licence conditions." She said she could not support Findlay’s proposed ban because it "could lead to parole board decisions being more vulnerable to legal challenge."

The debate also touched on wider victim-related safeguards. Greene said the amendment would be welcomed by the families affected by the two high-profile cases and reiterated that his measure was intended to deliver change now rather than leave families waiting for future legislation.

Campaigners and bereaved relatives who have pushed for legislation such as "Suzanne’s Law" or "Helen’s Law" argue that requiring disclosure should be a critical factor in parole decisions and that stronger statutory protections are needed to prevent further trauma to families left without closure. Supporters of a binding ban on release without recovery of remains contend that judicial discretion and legal challenges could undermine a softer approach that merely requires consideration of non-disclosure.

Separately, MSPs rejected a proposal to require the new victims’ commissioner to carry out research into group-based child sexual exploitation in Scotland. The amendment, tabled by Conservative MSP Liam Kerr, would have obliged the commissioner to complete research within three years of taking up the role. MSPs voted 62 to 51 against the measure. Kerr said there was a "worrying lack of information" on the scale of group-based exploitation and urged the parliament not to "bury its head in the sand."

Constance responded that Police Scotland and the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group, established in 2024, were already addressing the issue and that additional statutory duties on the victims’ commissioner were unnecessary.

MSPs are expected to consider final stages of the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill in the coming days. Campaigners and families may continue to press for firmer measures through the government’s consultation on parole and any subsequent statutory reviews or secondary legislation that could clarify how the Parole Board should treat non-disclosure in no-body murder cases.