By Russell Findlay

The mum of a young girl sexually abused by a teenage dental student has backed calls to overhaul how the justice system treats child victims.

Scottish Parliament justice committee MSPs last week urged justice secretary Humza Yousaf to adopt a pioneering Scandinavian approach.

In Norway and other countries, children give pre-recorded evidence in a single interview to specially-trained officers at centres away from police stations and courts.

The mother of the girl who was sexually assaulted by a teenager said: "This needs to be a priority for the justice system and corners should not be cut.

"It was a traumatic experience. She was genuinely scared at having to go to court.

"As an adult you get through it, but for an eight-year-old it is heartbreaking."

STV News reported on Monday how the girl was aged between six and eight when she was assaulted on numerous occasions by a youth aged between 15 and 17.

The girl's recorded police interview failed and her abuser - who STV has chosen not to name - pleaded not guilty which meant she had to give evidence via CCTV from a room inside Dumbarton Sheriff Court.

For around two hours, she was questioned by a prosecutor and defence lawyer Simon Whyte.

The mum said: "My daughter was very aware that he [Whyte] was asking questions quite abruptly, quite sharp and when she fed back to me the experience, she said she didn't like him.

"I assured my daughter that she would never, ever have to see him again. On a weekly basis she will bring up Mr Whyte more often than she will bring up the abuser's name."

Following a guilty verdict, the teenager was given an 'absolute discharge' by Sheriff Gerard Sinclair. The Crown Office launched an appeal against the sheriff's sentence but then dropped it.

The family's experience is starkly different to the Scandinavian Barnehaus (which means children's house) system which is backed by Scotland's top judge, Lord Carloway the Lord President.

However, some lawyers say it risks jeopardising an accused's right to a fair trial by preventing a witness from being 'properly examined'.

Whyte's firm Beltrami & Co said the case was "conducted with care and professionalism throughout".

They added: "Victims will often find the experience of giving evidence in court difficult, particularly in cross examination.

"Both the Crown and the sheriff can and do intervene if cross examination of any vulnerable witness is in any way inappropriate. No such issues arose at any point in this case."