Domestic abuse shame of top author who attacked wife at their £1m home
A NOVELIST who attacked his wife during a campaign of domestic abuse at their £1million home in Edinburgh has avoided jail.
Peter Ross Leckie, 65, seized his spouse Sophie Leckie by the neck during one assault at the couple’s former property in upmarket Royal Terrace.
Leckie – who attended the capital’s exclusive Fettes College at the same time as former PM Tony Blair – also assaulted the woman by repeatedly poking her to the body on a separate occasion.
The author of historical novels was also convicted of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards Mrs Leckie.
All the incidents took place between September 2012 and June 2018. Leckie denied a total of ten allegations of abusive behaviour but was found guilty by a jury of four charges following a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Yesterday, Sheriff Chris Dickson told Leckie: ‘Charges on the indictment taken as a whole offence are serious but the jury has found you guilty of [four] charges on various occasions, which means you have been convicted of less serious charges. I am satisfied there is an alternative to custody.’ Leckie, of Glenquiech, near Forfar, Angus, was placed on an offenders’ supervision order for the next 24 months and ordered to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work.
The former fund manager was also handed a ten-year non-harassment order banning him from contacting Mrs Leckie and from entering the pair’s former home.
Ronnie Renucci, QC, defending, said there had been ‘no evidence of physical harm’ suffered by the victim during the two assault incidents and his client had ‘lost his position’ with his employers.
Following the jury’s guilty verdict Leckie, a father of 11, resigned from his position as a partner with London fund company Artemis Investment Management last month.
Leckie sold the rights to his 1995 novel Hannibal to Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel and was employed as an adviser during filming of the £200million film adaptation.