Using case records of prosecutions at the Scottish High Court of
Justiciary between 1918 and 1930, this book takes a quantitative and
qualitative approach to understand sexual violence in Scotland at this
time. Analysing legal records alongside victim and witness testimonies,
Louise Heren analyses who committed sexual violence against whom, where
and how and, to an extent, looks to uncover the victims' voice.
Assessing how the courts responded, Sex and Violence in 1920s Scotland
reveals that, despite pejorative views of working-class female
behaviour, the successful conversion of prosecutions to convictions was
greater than what is seen in modern sexual assault cases. In a society
adjusting to post-conflict stresses, there were fears expressed in
middle-class circles that those most affected by the First World War
might react with violence. However, the High Court archives suggest
otherwise. Cases of incest, rape and sexual assault appears to have been
endemic, an opportunistic crime against older victims yet often
pre-meditated against the youngest; selfish crimes that suggest toxic
masculinity among some working-class men. The book concludes with the
ultimate question: why did these men perpetrate sexual violence?