‘The jury returned a not guilty verdict simply because they heard the evidence…’ said a clear, educated Scottish voice. ‘Mr Cameron was hospitalized four times by his wife’s temper. A battered wife rightly gets a great deal of sympathy but there are a significant number of men who are subject to domestic violence.’

‘If that’s the case, why don’t we hear more of it?’ asked the reporter.

‘The “henpecked” husband is as much a joke as the mother-in-law…these men not only suffer at the hands of their spouses but their plight is wrapped up in shame.’

‘Not everyone would agree with you, Miss McLennan. Some women’s groups are angry at this decision, saying that you’ve set back the cause of zero tolerance by twenty years. One group said that this decision is simply a return to the days when it was assumed men had a right to hit their wives–because now, if they do, they can claim it is self-defence.’

‘Violence is violence, Mr Baxter, and, if you don’t mind me saying so, your argument is muddled in the extreme. Mr Cameron’s wife threw a pan of hot chip fat over him in a drunken rage. She had a metal umbrella and the tip of it had been sharpened. Her usual practice was to stab him with it if he didn’t work fast enough. I could list many more instances, but it sounds to me as if your mind has already been made up.’

‘Miss McLennan, Kenny Cameron beat his wife to death with a hammer–and he never denied that. Some people are saying that he walked free today because of a clever lawyer’s tricks.’ Listening to the radio, Marshall could hear the sharp intake of breath from the lawyer. When she spoke again there was no disguising the iciness of her tone.

‘It was a simple decision for the jurors to make once they understood how repeated beatings affect the human mind. This isn’t about gender, this is about violence, and I’m sure every women’s group in the country will be more than happy to educate you about that if you have some spare time, Mr Baxter.’

To his credit, the reporter didn’t miss a beat. ‘You’ve been critical of the Crown Office for taking this prosecution from the start. Do you think they would have prosecuted a woman in these circumstances?’

‘I think they would have accepted a plea of culpable homicide…but today I’m pleased they didn’t offer it.’