The laws are not harsh enough and the abusers know it
Mum who survived years of abuse by cop fears for others
A BRAVE mum terrorised by her police officer boyfriend has said the authorities need to do more to tackle domestic abuse.
Anne-Marie Hirdman, 42, was abused so badly by Police Scotland Constable Fraser Ross she feared he would kill her.
She spoke out this week after the Scottish Government held a minute’s silence at Holyrood in memory of all the women killed by men this year.
It was followed by a debate on violence against women on the 30th anniversary of the UN’s global campaign 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
Anne-Marie, who has a heart condition, still suffers physically and emotionally from the heartless officer’s abuse, more than two years after they split.
The Glasgow cop, who resigned in disgrace after 16 years, abused her throughout their six-year relationship at their home in Motherwell.
Anne-Marie says he told her she “deserved” the abuse, which she claims saw him repeatedly kneeing, hitting and suffocating her, in attacks where he was “frothing at the mouth” with his “eyeballs popping out his head”.
She claimed the proficient martial artist seriously attacked her around 40 times, hitting her at least once a week, and pinned her to the ground kneeling on her neck.
She now works with Women’s Aid to try to raise awareness, to encourage victims to come forward and teach others how to spot the signs.
Anne-Marie says more has to be done to reduce the amount of violence perpetrated by men towards women, such as harsher punishments and better education.
She told the Record: “The perpetrators know that the laws are not harsh enough.
“You need to have two forms of evidence to prove some of it and they don’t fear the
Courts need to think about the victims’ safety ANNE-MARIE HIRDMAN ABUSE SURVIVOR
punishments. We need to make sure kids are being taught from a young age what is acceptable and what is not.
“But people in society also need to stand up and speak out when they know someone is doing something wrong.
“Sometimes it feels that nothing is done until a person has been severely beaten or murdered.”
“People tend to not want to get involved.
“More support is needed for victims that do stand up and speak out and courts’ decisions need to think about the victims’ safety after the court process is finished.
“Workplaces and schools need to have training to help managers and colleagues know the signs of people who may be in danger.
“Children need to feel they can talk to people and schools can help with that. If domestic violence has been found within a home, children should be assigned someone for therapy.”
Ross denied breaking the law, claiming Anne-Marie, a former model, was a “jealous, paranoid and vindictive liar”. But he was convicted of assaulting her on three occasions and behaving in a threatening or abusive way towards her for six years.
He was spared jail and given a Community Payback Order at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said violence against women was one of its top priorities.
She added: “Violence against women is abhorrent and totally unacceptable and our longstanding Equally Safe Strategy – which is widely supported – sets out our ambition to eradicate it in all its forms. We have provided funding to projects for years and this increased funding commitment reflects a rise in need during the pandemic.
“The £100million will be invested in this parliamentary term to support frontline services and projects which focus on the prevention of violence against women and girls from school onward over the next three years.
“Lady Dorrian’s report on the management of sexual offence cases highlights that much more can and should be done to improve the experience of those involved.”