The Structure and a Summary of the Act
5.The Act is in two Parts.
6.Part 1 of the Act provides for an offence consisting of abusive behaviour towards a partner or ex-partner and for the Scottish courts to have extra-territorial jurisdiction over that offence. It also provides for matters connected with the offence, such as a statutory aggravation that the perpetrator, in committing the new offence, involved or affected a child, a defence, and penalties.
7.Part 2 of the Act introduces a schedule which makes a number of associated reforms to criminal procedure, evidence and sentencing relating to the creation of an offence of domestic abuse. These reforms are:
	creating a standard bail condition prohibiting a person accused of a domestic abuse offence from conducting precognition of the complainer other than through a solicitor;
	prohibiting an accused person in a domestic abuse case from personally conducting the defence in court;
	permitting certain expert evidence relating to the behaviour of the complainer in domestic abuse cases;
	applying the same rules for the benefit of vulnerable witnesses as apply to other serious offences;
	requiring the court, when sentencing a person convicted of a domestic abuse offence, to have regard to the aim of ensuring that the victim is not subject to further abuse by the offender; and
	placing a duty on the court to automatically consider whether to make a non-harassment order against a person convicted of a domestic abuse offence.