A Shetland man who admitted subjecting his wife to nearly three decades of “depraved and cruel” behaviour has had his sentence deferred.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie told Lerwick Sheriff Court that the 11 charges admitted by Robert Simmons, of Sandness, amounted to “one of the worst cases of domestic abuse” he has ever dealt with.
The 62-year-old pled guilty to a string of charges which spanned between December 1988 and March this year.
One of the offences saw Simmons repeatedly strike the woman on the head on Christmas Eve of 1988 as a punishment because she used raw eggs as she baked a cake.
On various occasions between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 1999 she was made to stand in an outbuilding as she was doused in cold water from a hose for an “extended period of time”.
In the third charge, the woman fled from the house to be pursued by Simmons, who forced her into the boot of an estate car.
In another incident, Simmons compressed his wife’s throat to the point where she was struggling to breathe.
The fifth charge saw the man repeatedly present a metal pole at her after grabbing her by the hair, while the sixth saw him seize her by the hair and throw her to the ground.
One offence saw the woman be made to lie down on the floor before Simmons placed his foot on her head, giving her two black eyes.
In the eighth charge the complainer was pushed to the ground, causing nerve damage to her back, while another saw Simmons strike her in the head while in a car in May 2015 – leaving her with a bleeding nose and a black eye.
The 10th charge saw Simmons hit her in the back of the legs with a plastic pipe while she was washing dishes.
The 11th offence saw the man place his mouth next to her ear and shout, swear and utter threats.
Simmons told police that “when we got married, she took a vow of obedience to me”.
Defence agent Tommy Allan is due to speak in representation of his client’s position on October 11 when Simmons is sentenced.
Sheriff Philip Mann warned Simmons that it is “difficult to contemplate any disposal other than a custodial sentence”.
