A multi-million-pound Huntly pig farmer has been fined after being convicted of threatening and abusive behaviour towards an ex-girlfriend.
James Innes, 43, was on trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court facing allegations of domestic abuse spanning four years at his Mains of Gartly Farm.
Innes’ victim was a girlfriend and employee of Innes, who was branded in evidence as being a “womanising bully”.
During the four-day trial, Innes’ defence team presented evidence to show his victim was an unreliable witness, claiming she was “a woman scorned” after discovering Innes was two-timing her with another female.
‘This is not a court of morals, but of law’
In his submission to Sheriff Rhona Wark, fiscal depute Andrew McMann described those efforts as an attack on the woman’s character and said they were trying to “divert from the true issue”.
He added: “This is not a court of morals, but of law.”
Mr McMann said: “He has carried out domestic abuse of the complainer – and continued this during the trial with the defence evidence, his final act of domestic abuse, I would say.”
He urged Sheriff Wark to find Innes guilty and said the woman had been “compelling” in her testimony.
“She showed fear and distress – he manipulated her,” Mr McMann said.
‘He is not to be believed’
“His evidence has been fabricated and self-serving and not to be believed.”
Innes was facing one charge of domestic abuse by repeatedly shouting, swearing and acting in an aggressive manner over a four-year period.
The charge said he had repeatedly pushed her on the body, uttered derogatory names, blocked her car in a driveway, forcing her into a shower door and trapped her within, took photos of her buttocks and pushed and struck her body using a car door.
Another part of the charge relates to Innes forcing the woman to carry out a medical procedure against her will.
Pig farm love triangle
Innes’ defence agent Edith Forrest KC, in her summing up, said Innes had been “foolish” to engage in a relationship with an employee and said he had been candid in his evidence.
She said Innes had been seeing another woman at the same time as the complainer and this had led to a “big issue” at the farm.
“She behaved in ways that caused him significant problems,” Ms Forrest said.
“He was trying to run a multi-million-pound company.”
Ms Forrest described the woman as being resentful at finding out that Innes was seeing someone else and said: “He was responding to her attempts to hurt him – she was besotted.
“She was rejected by him and she sees things filtered through the mindset of a woman scorned.
“She presented as someone who was erratic at times – and had to have the last word.”
Ms Forrest continued to argue that the woman’s testimony was unreliable and referred to comments written on a staff notice board concerning Innes’ latest girlfriend, which she suggested had been written by the complainer.
Farmer called ‘womanising bully’ in evidence
Sheriff Wark interrupted Ms Forrest to say: “Her position was that she thought Mr Innes was a free agent and entered into a relationship, then found out that was not the case.
“There’s double standards here, Ms Forrest, if you don’t mind me saying.”
Ms Forrest continued to say she didn’t want to make her client out to be “materialistic” but added: “The man was trying to run a business. Arguably, he could have handled things better – but he was trying to make the best of it.”
She argued that the woman had a grievance towards her client and had reported him to Health and Safety, the Agricultural Wages Board and an Employment Tribunal, adding she had also made comments about another female employee on a staff notice board.
Sheriff Wark again interjected and said: “We are not judging morals here.”
She then made reference to evidence heard during the trial, including a recording where the woman called Innes a “womanising bully” and said this had been heard by another witness.
Sheriff makes guilty ruling
Ultimately, Sheriff Wark found Innes guilty of threatening and abusive behaviour against his partner with an abuse aggravation.
She said she would give Innes the “benefit of the doubt” for the allegations relating to forcing the woman to undergo a medical procedure against her will and of pushing her into a shower door.
Sheriff Wark found Innes guilty of being threatening and abusive and acting aggressively toward his ex-partner and of seizing her by the body and uttering derogatory remarks at her.
She added: “I hope, for your sake, you do not appear in court in the future.”
Innes, of Broomfold Farmhouse, Huntly, was fined £1,575 and ordered to pay within 28 days.