Today we received the final report from the SPSO, upholding all of our complaints about the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service, and for the first time since Barry was murdered we feel immense relief, that we have been heard, we have been seen, and we have an acknowledgment that the terrible detriment we were subjected to following the terrible murder of our child was unacceptably wrong.

‘One of the most sinister components of gaslighting and discrimination is the denial of a reality you know to be true. You desperately want it to make sense, believing logic will prevail. The belief that the gaslighters will see the error of their ways and will change their behaviour, is a hardwire difficult to unplug; and the logic in your own mind also makes you believe that the next person you speak to will see what’s going on with horror, apologise, and take action to put it right; but when the discrimination and abusive behaviour is deeply routed in the organisations structure, it’s a cultural and systemic problem, so logic and truth never prevails and the living nightmare your in goes on and on.’

We hope this will lead the way for restorative justice, to assist us in our fight to have all of the individuals involved in the murder of Barry prosecuted, and we hope that there will be action taken by the Scottish Government to change the culture within COPFS and ensure no other families suffer as we have, and as far to many have before us.

We still have a long way to go; we are in the process of lodging our civil case against Police Scotland for their shocking negligence before Barry was murdered and their corrupt investigation that followed, but we won’t give up until there is justice for Barry.