Five serial domestic abusers sentenced to prison
Operations from a domestic abuse taskforce has seen five serial abusers sentenced to a combined 61 years behind bars
Last updated 30th May 2022
Five serial domestic abusers across Scotland have been sentenced to a combined 61 years in prison, thanks to operations from a taskforce.
The men committed offences in areas such as Forth Valley, Lanarkshire, Edinburgh & the Lothians and the Highlands/Moray.
Proactive investigations by the Police Scotland Domestic Abuse Taskforce uncovered offending that in some cases spanned decades.
This included both sexual offences and physical offences, as well as other offending covered by the domestic abuse act.
Over the last year Police Scotland officers have responded to 63,093 calls about domestic abuse, 43% of which resulted in a crime being recorded. Of those, 1,760 crimes were recorded under DASA.
Over the same period, there was a 12.4% increase in applications to the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse in Scotland (DSDAS). This includes a 30% increase in Right to Ask applications, where people can ask whether their current partner has a history of abuse.
Detective Chief Superintendent Sam Faulds, Head of Public Protection, Police Scotland, said: “Domestic abuse remains a significant priority for Police Scotland. We take a call every nine minutes on average and our officers are highly trained to respond professionally and effectively.
“Domestic abuse takes many forms. It can be physical and sexual but also psychological, emotional and financial. An abuser’s intent is to control and coerce their victim.
“Every case is traumatic for the victim, the effects are long-lasting for them and for their families, and especially so for children. No child should have to witness to domestic abuse.
“Preventing domestic abuse is our ultimate aim. We work closely with our partners, not only to improve our own response but also to educate against and to prevent domestic abuse. A key part of prevention is the disclosure scheme which has helped thousands of people make an informed choice about whether to continue or end an abusive relationship.”