Inverness man is told his past is no excuse for domestic abuse

A sheriff told a man with a reputation for domestic violence that witnessing it growing up wasn’t a license to commit similar crimes.

Sheriff David Harvie was told that Cameron Huggins (21) of Balvaird Terrace, Muir from Ord, had already been issued a non-intimidation order to protect an ex-partner when he appeared before him to prosecute the attack on a new partner and admitting to threatening behavior.

The sentence had previously been postponed due to a background report.

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Inverness Sheriff Court heard the offense took place at an address in Admiral’s View, Inverness on February 19 this year, when he and the complainant were returning home from work.

Fiscal depute Adele Gray said: “There was a little disagreement and he went upstairs.

“Twenty minutes later he came back and went to the kitchen.”

Ms Gray said his partner came in, he kicked the door shut and started shouting and swearing at her.

“He called her an idiot and she asked him to leave but he pushed her on the shoulder causing her to fall back onto a railing,” she said. “He leaned over her and kept shouting in her face.”

The court heard Huggins left the property and was locked out, but banged on the window, shouted and swore and demanded to get back in.

Ms Gray added that police who were called witnessed this behaviour.

Defending, David Patterson said: “He accepts this was completely unacceptable. The section (of the background report) about his past makes sad reading, because these attitudes were entrenched in those early years.

“He wants to change his ways and doesn’t want to continue treating women this way. But a pattern is developing and the men’s program would help. He is immature in his ways, doesn’t have the tools to cope and is flying out of the hand.” .”

Sheriff Harvie told Huggins, “What you saw in your younger years does not mean you have the right to behave in this way.”

He placed him under the supervision of the social worker for two years, ordered him to carry out 120 hours of unpaid community work and take part in the domestic abuser’s rehabilitation programme.

The sheriff also imposed a three-year non-harassment order to protect Huggins’ former partner.

He warned him if he disobeyed or offended again: “The next stage will probably be detention.”

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