Man who beat wife for decades gets three years

A man who beat his wife on their wedding day as part of a catalogue of abuse stretching across 25 years has been jailed for three years. Montrose husband John Ormond was accused of showing “no remorse” for subjecting his wife Linda to decades of violent attacks that regularly left her in hospital.

Yesterday’s ruling at Dundee Sheriff Court came as Rape Crisis Scotland stressed sentencing in general needed to reflect the “gravity” of any offence.

A husband who set the tone for decades of married misery by assaulting his bride on their wedding day was yesterday jailed for three years.

John Ormond, from Montrose, put wife Linda, to whom he was married for 35 years, through decades of torment with repeated violent attacks that often hospitalised her.

Mrs Ormond told Dundee Sheriff Court how her 67-yearold husband even beat her after they returned home from their wedding in August 1980, ripping her “going away” outfit in the process.

She told jurors she stuck by Mr Ormond despite the horror start to their marriage because “we were married in a church and I stuck to the vows as much as I could until I couldn’t take any more”.

Fiscal depute Vicki Bell told the jury: “For better or for worse is the vow I assume she refers to.”

Mr Ormond and his wife separated in 2005 before finally divorcing in 2015.

Sheriff Tom Hughes told Mr Ormond, who said the allegations against him were “vindictive”, he had shown “no remorse”.

The trial heard a year before their wedding Mr Ormond broke his wife’s arm after he chased her, pushed her down and repeatedly kicked her. She went through with the wedding despite the incident, only to be attacked when they returned home from their reception.

Mr Ormond on one occasion nine years into their marriage brutally beat her and kicked her on Christmas Day, leaving her with broken ribs.

His wife covered up the abuse, refusing to tell doctors who treated her how she came by the injuries until decades later. Ms Bell told the jury: “These crimes date back to the 70s. We are dealing with a catalogue of prolonged abuse.

“Many of the charges followed a similar pattern. He would come home from the pub, be heard coming up stairs then crash, bang, wallop.”

Mr Ormond denied a total of 15 charges of assault on his wife and a child.

A jury took just two hours to find him guilty of 12 of the charges, with the remaining three not proven. The offences were committed between 1979 and 2004.

Mr Hughes also imposed a one-year supervised release order on Mr Ormond.

Sandy Brindley of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: “It’s really important sentencing reflects the gravity of the offence. Such abuse can have devastating and long-term effects.”