A violent Aberdeen man has been ordered to carry out unpaid work following a campaign of domestic abuse that happened so many times his victim “lost count”.
Robert Harrison, 59, subjected his partner to repeated abuse, including punching and pushing her body and striking her head, over a period of 15 months.
On one occasion he even locked her out of the house, leaving her “extremely distressed” in the rain wearing only one slipper.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court also heard the woman told police she had been assaulted so many times she had “lost count”.
‘You should be in no doubt that this is a serious matter’
Harrison, of Old Stonehaven Road, Aberdeen, previously admitted a charge of engaging in a course of behaviour that was abusive towards his partner between August 1 2020 and November 6 2021 at an address in Aberdeen.
And he has now returned to the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court to be sentenced.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan told him: “In light of the terms of the social work report I’m prepared to deal with this case by way of a sentence which is a direct alternative to a prison sentence.
“You should be in no doubt that this is a serious matter.
‘She was left standing crying in an extremely distressed state in the rain’
“The things contained in the charge are serious and you would have certainly been at risk of receiving a custodial sentence, particularly if you had any previous convictions for something like this.”
The sheriff handed Harrison two years of supervision, and 150 hours of unpaid work.
He also ordered him to complete the Caledonian programme and imposed a five-year non-harassment order.
Fiscal depute Andrew McMann previously told Aberdeen Sheriff Court about an alcohol-fuelled incident that took place in August 2020.
He said: “The complainer was walking downstairs when the accused approached her and grabbed her t-shirt.
“She tried to go back up the stairs to get away from him. He pushed her on the back causing her to fall forward and her head and eye were struck on the radiator.”
The fiscal recounted another occasion when a drunken Harrison refused the dinner he’d been made, insisting he wanted more alcohol instead.
‘Told the police she was assaulted so many times that she lost count’
Mr McMann said: “He became angry at the woman and pushed her out of the kitchen stating ‘get out of the house’.
“He pushed her out of the house, closing the door and locking it. She was left standing crying in an extremely distressed state in the rain with only one slipper on.”
The woman described Harrison as “violent”.
At that hearing, defence agent Chris Maitland told the court his client had no memory of the events because of his “heavy use of alcohol” at the time.
“Mr Harrison tells me he has not touched a drop of alcohol since his arrest in 2021,” Mr Maitland said.
“He feels his whole personality and lifestyle has had a massive change since then. He is trying to get his life back on track.”
At the same hearing, Sheriff Buchanan expressed his surprise that Harrison had been assessed as “low risk” in an earlier social work report.
He added: “If a partner has told the police she was assaulted so many times that she lost count, it’s difficult to really understand why the assessment is that he is low risk.”
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