This would have prevented the incident, which happened in Nõo, Tartu County, from happening, Timpson said.

"That person should have been locked up, in my view," Timpson said on Wednesday, speaking to ERR webcast "Otse uudistemajast."

"The Nõo killer should have been in custody," Timpson, who served as justice minister briefly in the spring and summer of 2024, reiterated later on in the show.

Timpson was quick to point out this was not due to any oversight by the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) with regard to the case; however, perpetrators of domestic violence should be detained more often, he said.

"The main thing – if there is a beating, the police must initiate criminal proceedings, and then he (the abuser – ed.) can initially be held for two months," Timpson said.

The law on diminished responsibility also needs clarifying, Timpson said, referring to a recent case where a man escaped a prison sentence for murder on the grounds that he had been in a state of alcohol-induced delirium at the time of the 2022 slaying, of a 60-year-old man in Kiviõli in Ida-Viru County. The perpetrator, aged 27, went on to assault a 54-year-old woman.

To his knowledge the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Digital Affairs are working on clarifying the law here, Timpson said.

As a civil law rather than common law jurisdiction, Estonia has a set Penal Code covering criminal law.

An act before the Supreme Court which was returned without signing by President Alar Karis will have to await its fate at the top court, Timpson also said on the show. The amendments to the Church and Congregations Act's main stated aim is to prevent religious organizations active in Estonia from being hijacked or otherwise used in order to incite hatred or violence.

Timpson noted that one of the bill's goals is ensuring security in the state, which is after all one of the state's primary functions. The law passed two Riigikogu readings but the head of state declined to give his assent to it, on the grounds that it conflicted with the Constitution. In practice, the law is directed mainly at the position, status, and activities of the Russian Orthodox Church in Estonia.

The rest of the "Otse uudistemajast" broadcast dealt with the Reform Party's continued slump in the ratings, exemplified by its poor performance at last month's local election.

Timpson — who is a member of the party's board — said he thinks it unlikely that prime minister and party chair Kristen Michal will see a leadership challenge ahead of Reform's scheduled congress next summer. Timpson said he saw no evidence of any collecting of signatures for a no-confidence motion, or of any plans for an off-schedule party congress.

Overall, the party had drifted too far to the left, so far as its voter base was concerned. "We should focus more on economic freedoms and pull back on social liberalism," he said, noting that Michal, who he has known for 20 years, is no social liberal.

"Our messages became too vague for a while; we made too many compromises. We cannot be a state party, we must be a party for our voters," he added.
The interview also dealt with the ongoing illegal donations scandal which has engulfed Isamaa, the party which, more than any other, has benefited from the fall in support for Reform.

"There has always been legal hodgepodge when it comes to the funding of political parties," was Timpson's view on this, recalling when donations from private individuals were banned in 2004, it was ResPublica — forerunner of the present-day Isamaa — and specifically Isamaa's current leader Urmas Reinsalu ironically who pushed that change through.

"In that light, the current situation is comical," Timpson added.

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