ALMOST half of all people brought to court under a controversial anti-sectarian law are acquitted - prompting further claims the legislation is not fit for purpose.
Just 80 out of 154 football-related cases raised under the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act and Threatening Communications Act in 2013/14 resulted in conviction.
The figures, released in a Scottish Government report on criminal proceedings, show a massive drop in the conviction rate from 73 per cent in 2012/13 to 48 per cent in 2013/14.
Members of the legal profession said they were shocked by the figures, while football fans reacted with anger.
Jeanette Findlay, of pressure group Fans Against Criminalisation, said: "The failure of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to secure convictions at a rate which matches other similar offences such as Breach of the Peace, despite having a dedicated police unit and one of the most monitored sections of the population, shows what a poor piece of legislation it is.
"The law is poorly drafted, is arguably in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights and sheriffs are quite rightly unwilling to convict young men with unblemished characters on the basis of it.
"It is almost easier to get a conviction for rape or murder as it is to get a conviction under this Act.
"It is an abject failure but despite it being shown to be so by their own statistics the SNP Government are simply unwilling to admit they got it wrong."
Advocate Brian McConnachie QC said the figures were surprising given the nature of the prosecutions involved.
"Most of these offences will be at summary level before a sheriff", he said. "And because the witnesses involved will primarily be police officers, you would expect there to be a pretty high conviction rate in the sense that you expect police officers to give their evidence accurately and you don't expect that a sheriff will readily refuse to believe them."
He said: "The fact that half of these cases are being acquitted would tend to suggest either that the wrong people are being accused of these offences or alternatively they're being brought to court on the basis of flimsy, unsubstantiated evidence.
"The conviction rate is also shocking because when the last lot of figures came out and the conviction rate was higher, both the then Justice Secretary and the Lord Advocate expressed how they demonstrated that the act was working.
"If that were so, presumably these figures now demonstrate that it's not."
Mr McConnachie added that he has always believed the Act was a PR gimmick and totally unnecessary.
He said: "People have been convicted of sectarian offences at football for as far back as I can remember, it was just legislation for legislation's sake.
"The big worry about this Act has always been that it can target people who would never otherwise end up in court, pretty much on the whim of a police officer."
Labour MSP Hugh Henry also raised concerns about the legislation, saying: "This was a flawed piece of legislation and these figures prove it.
"Although the number of people who faced proceedings increased, just under 50 per cent were found Not Guilty. The legislation isn't working and should be scrapped."
A Scottish Government spokesman said there is no conviction target for Scotland's courts and it is a matter for the Crown Office to decide whether or not to convict an individual based on the evidence before them.
The spokesman added: "Season 2013-14 saw a 24% reduction in the number of charges under the Act from the previous season, falling from 267 charges down to 203.
"We welcome this fall in charges which shows the vast majority of football supporters simply wish to enjoy the match and support their team."
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