Court / Domestic abuse prison sentence quashed
A MAN from Bressay had his prison sentence quashed at the High Court in Edinburgh earlier this month after appealing a 40-month jail term he received at Lerwick Sheriff Court in January for a raft of domestic abuse charges spanning a period of two decades.
John William Clark instead had a community payback order imposed with two years of supervision and was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, which has to be completed within 12 months.
The 53-year-old previously pleaded guilty to 13 charges of domestic abuse against a woman and two girls, committed between 1992 and 2013 at different addresses on the island.
At court in Lerwick on 22 January Clark was described as a complex character whose private life was at odds with his community spirited conduct.
He was further described as acting in a threatening and aggressive manner for a continuous period of 20 years thereby dominating his family’s lives like a “sometimes dormant and sometimes active volcano”.
Space2face
Space2face Shetland is an independent and confidential service which uses Restorative Justice and the arts to bring those harmed by crime or conflict and those responsible for the harm into communication. We enable everyone affected by a particular incident to play a part in repairing the harm and finding a positive way forward.
If you would like to reach out to us, please contact us via e-mail info@space2face.org or mobile 07564 832467.
If you would like to know more, visit our website www.space2face.org, or our Facebook page #space2faceshetland.
The project is also currently fundraising to secure office space in Shetland’s brand-new creativity and wellness centre, The Mission. If you’re interested in getting involved, or making a donation, head over to www.space2face.org/how-you-can-help
