The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Abuser ordered to pay £7k compensation to four former partners
A Fife man has been told to pay a total of £7,000 compensation to four ex-partners he abused over a period spanning a decade.
Robert Montgomery, from Kirkcaldy, narrowly avoided a jail sentence for the series of assaults, including dragging one woman down a flight of stairs while she was pregnant.
He told another of his victims to “train harder so they could be the perfect couple” and got angry when another drank full-sugared cola.
The 41-year-old appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for sentencing after earlier pleading guilty to nine offences, which took place at various addresses in Fife.
Sheriff Robert More sentenced Montgomery to 270 hours of unpaid work and made a requirement for £7,000 compensation – £2,000 each to two women and £1,500 to each of his other victims.
Montgomery was also placed on offender supervision for two years, given a requirement to undertake the Caledonian men’s programme to address male domestic violence and banned from contacting his victims for 10 years.
The sheriff said Montgomery’s assessment for rehabilitation “does not read well” and contained “quintessential traits” of denialism, minimisation and blaming others. But he said the Caledonian programme is designed to specifically address and combat these attitudes.
The sheriff highlighted Montgomery had never previously served jail time and his employment is a “significant protective factor”.
The sheriff said: “This is a direct alternative to a significant prison sentence.”
The sheriff acknowledged victim impact statements which suggested Montgomery made his former partners’ lives “abject misery”.
Defence lawyer Dewar Spence said Montgomery is currently working for his brother and taking home £800 a week.
The solicitor argued for a non-custodial sentence, pointing out there has been no intervention in the past to address his client’s behaviour.
The lawyer said: “This is an opportunity to do so at the age of 41.”
Mr Spence suggested if custody was imposed it may “harden his views” about how relationships work, which “would not be beneficial to society”.
He said: “The greater benefit is to impose supervision with the Caledonian men’s programme as a condition, along with unpaid work and compensation.
“It’s significant punishment to him and keeps him in front of the court for the duration of the order.”
Montgomery had earlier admitted assaulting one woman on various occasions in 2011 and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards her.
Prosecutor Ronnie Hay told the court when she was six months pregnant, he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her down a flight of stairs.
Montgomery became annoyed after learning the gender of her unborn baby, called her “useless and stupid” and punched a van windscreen, shattering it.
On various occasions between October 2013 and September 2015, Montgomery assaulted a second partner and behaved in a threatening or abusive manner towards her.
In one instance he loosened one of her teeth when he struck her mouth with the back of his hand.
Montgomery would become angry at her drinking fizzy juice and told her she was looking fat and heavy.
The fiscal depute said: “She consistently felt not perfect enough”.
The court heard he would rip her clothing or damage mobile phones and she estimated going through about 20 phones during their relationship.
Between June 2017 and Christmas Day 2018, Montgomery assaulted and verbally abused a third woman.
On one occasion he kicked a car door so it struck and cut her chin and another time he threw a metal ashtray towards her and dragged her hair out in clumps.
Montgomery, of Winifred Street, engaged in a course of abusive behaviour towards a fourth woman between December 25 2020 and February 2021.
He made offensive remarks to her, accessed her phone without permission and sent her offensive texts.
He told her to “train harder so they could be the perfect couple”.
Montgomery also previously admitted breaching bail by contacting one of the women.