THE MSP behind the plan to outlaw smacking in Scotland has revealed how he was routinely belted at school.

John Finnie said his own experiences at a school in the rural Highlands had influenced his bid to change the law.

The Green MSP spoke after the Scottish Government announced it would ensure his Bill to ban smacking is passed by Holyrood.

Finnie said: "At secondary school I was a disruptive pupil and I was frequently given the belt. That did influence me.

"It very clearly doesn't answer anything. It was hugely counterproductive."

Finnie spoke about witnessing other pupils, in the early 1960s, getting the belt for not knowing the Bible and failing to understand subjects taught in lessons.

Finnie also admitted that much to his regret he smacked his own son and daughter, Ruth Maguire, who is now an SNP MSP. Adding that it was "unthinkable" he would hit his four grandchildren and that his own son and daughter did not smack their children.

Corporal punishment in Scotland's state schools was abolished in 1987. However, parents can claim a defence of "justifiable assault" when punishing their child. However, the use of an "implement" in any punishment is banned, as is shaking or striking a child on the head.

Finnie said he hoped an outright ban on smacking would "ideally" be in place within a year.

Speaking about his own experiences, Finnie said that being belted for "fooling around" at school had influenced his campaign.

Finnie added: "I went to a small rural Highlands school in the early 1960s and I was belted. I saw people belted for not understanding things and not knowing enough of the Bible."

He said: "I was not a violent teenager. It was more for fooling about. But it didn't stop me and I had contempt for the teachers who belted and the classes they took compared to those that didn't belt."

Finnie also revealed that in his previous career as a police officer, when he worked as a dog handler, that he had been caught up in violent clashes and had been forced to set dogs on people when he faced attackers with knives, nunchucks and sticks.

He said the use of verbal skills and proportionality had been key to dealing with such clashes.

Finnie said: "As a police officer I dealt with many violent incidents. There always had to be ways of reducing violence.

"Police officers are often found in violent situations and you have to have a range of responses. But the key to it all is proportionality."

Finnie said that he had only occasionally been smacked by his own parents.

The Highlands and Islands MSP also said that he had smacked his own children on rare occasions, but regretted it.

Finnie claimed that not smacking children was normal and that there had been a generational change in attitude. "My children don't smack their children and the idea of smacking my four grandchildren is unthinkable," he said.

But while belting children at schools had influenced his bid to change the law it was not his only motivation, he said, deciding to launch his Private Members' Bill at Holyrood following conversations with child welfare groups.

Finnie said: "It's not about me. It's about a human rights issue. I've been keen to work with human rights groups and they wanted to progress this."

He said he was ready to face a backlash from right-wing newspapers and campaigners who claimed a ban on smacking would lead to a surge in parental prosecutions.

However, Finnie insisted the law change was centred around protecting children.

"This is seeking to remove a defence of justifiable violence from Scots law. It's about saying that it's not okay to strike someone because you are unhappy with them.

Adding, "The purpose of this law is not to encourage prosecutions, it's to send a very clear message about the protection and safety of children.

"It's not that long ago that we were having a debate about what type of implements you could use to hit a child. This is about progress. It's about something that's normal. Not hitting children is normal," he said.