Officer jailed af ter 22-year campaign of violent abuse
A POLICEMAN who conducted a 22-year campaign of domestic abuse has been jailed.
Steven Riding, 46, beat two of his ex-wives and a former girlfriend from 1992 to 2014.
Riding, of Kilsyth, Lanarkshire, was charged after his victims went to the police in 2014.
The constable claimed the women were lying and forced them to give evidence at trial.
But a jury at Airdrie Sheriff Court found him guilty of 15 charges and he has now been handed a five-year sentence for his serial abuse.
The court heard that he beat his first wife, Susan Riding, between September 1992 and December 1997.
He then assaulted his second wife, Lorna King, over eight years after they married in 2002. And he abused his girlfriend Samantha Lindsay from 2011 to 2014.
Niall McCluskey, defending, said Riding still denied the charges but accepted he was going to prison. He added: ‘Although [Riding] will leave the police dishonourably, he has served the public since 1990. He retains the support of his family.’
In one incident, Riding took his first wife by the throat and dragged her down a staircase by the hair before pinning her to the ground.
In March 1995, he grabbed Mrs Riding by the hair, rubbed her head into a pizza on the ground and knocked her out.
Riding married Miss King, a police civilian worker, in 2002. His spree of assaults against her went on for eight years.
When this second marriage broke down, he began dating Miss Lindsay after meeting her in 2011.
Miss Lindsay was seized by the neck, repeatedly slapped and kicked over three years at a house in Kilsyth.
Riding’s second wife Miss King, now 49, said: ‘I was nervous giving evidence and discussing my private life. But it’s a necessary evil to ensure his proven violent behaviour stops.
‘One time, he had me by the throat and I had to wear a scarf to work as there was bruising to my throat.
‘There was emotional abuse every three or four weeks and, when it was physical, it was always the neck and throat in a restraining way.’
Sheriff Morag Galbraith said Riding had committed ‘serious and very violent crimes against three women who loved you’.
The sheriff added: ‘The harm you have caused has been incalculable. The court would like to acknowledge the bravery of these women for coming to give evidence.’
Riding had quit Police Scotland before he was jailed. Chief Inspector Jill Smith, from Police Professional Standards, said: ‘Any police officer or staff member found to be involved in criminal activity of any kind will not be tolerated.
‘Tackling domestic abuse is a key priority for Police Scotland and any crime of this nature will be thoroughly investigated, regardless of who is involved.’
Detective Chief Inspector Samantha McCluskey, of the Domestic Abuse Task Force, also paid tribute to the bravery of Riding’s three accusers.
She said: ‘Domestic abuse occurs across all communities in every corner of the world. There are no social boundaries and occupation will not protect perpetrators.
‘We will use all methods at our disposal to track down abusers and bring them to court.
I would encourage anyone who has or is experiencing domestic abuse, in any form, to seek help and support, whether through contact with victim advocacy services or by reporting to the Police via 101 or the online reporting system.’
‘Harm has been incalculable’