Court / Scalloway man ordered to carry out two-year domestic abuse programme
Content warning: This story contains details of domestic abuse. If you have been affected by these issues, help is available.
A MAN who gave his former partner a black eye and subjected her to years of abuse has narrowly escaped a jail sentence.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank told Anthony Stewart he could not use his own “personal feelings” to decide his fate, and had to “apply the law” instead.
With a “degree of hesitation”, he decided to place 35-year-old Stewart under a lengthy period of supervision and ordered him to carry out a two-year domestic abuse programme.
The court heard Stewart repeatedly abused his former partner over a period of more than three years, assaulting her on two occasions and persistently sending her threatening or abusive messages.
Abusive messages to the woman were seen at times by her friends and associates, and on one occasion friends overheard Stewart make a comment to her about her killing herself.
The court heard the pair were in a relationship from early 2022 to early 2023, but remained in contact afterwards.
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said Stewart, from New Road, Scalloway had “repeatedly” sent the woman threatening or abusive messages between 1 January 2022 and 12 April 2025.
On 26 February 2023, the woman was woken up by Stewart grabbing her clothing and dragging her up to a sitting position at his Scalloway address.
He punched her in the face, leaving her with a black eye and a small cut to her eyebrow.
Almost two years later, on 26 January 2025, the woman saw Stewart waiting outside for her at an address in Lerwick’s St Olaf Street after they had been to the pub.
When she approached him, he grabbed her clothing and repeatedly kicked her on the legs – leaving her with “quite significant bruising”.
She was unable to escape due to the strength of the grip he had, and Stewart was only stopped when a passer-by saw the assault and stepped in.
He was arrested and bailed under the condition that he did not contact her, a condition that Stewart “continued to ignore”.
Stewart sent her large numbers of messages, the court heard, including one threatening message in which he said: “I hope you’re ready for trial”.
He only stopped messaging the woman when her friends approached him and told him that if he continued they would report him to the police.
The fiscal said the woman had “taken some time” to come to terms with the fact that she had been in an abusive relationship.
She was now seeking a non-harassment order against Stewart, he said.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said Stewart was “genuinely remorseful” and “ashamed” about his behaviour.
He said this had been a relationship in which “alcohol was a prominent feature” and that unsavoury things were often said between the two.
Allan added that the communication between the two after Stewart was bailed was sometimes not instigated by his client.
However, he admitted that nothing the complainer had done was “to the extent” of the course of behaviour carried out by Stewart.
Sheriff Cruickshank admitted he had a “degree of hesitation” about not jailing Stewart, but said he had to apply the law to the case.
He placed Stewart under supervision for a period of two years and six months and ordered him to complete the Scottish Government’s Caledonian programme for men convicted of domestic abuse offences.
Stewart was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work within the next 12 months, and ordered not to approach or contact – or to attempt to approach or contact – the complainer for the next three years.
Sheriff Cruickshank asked for a review into Stewart’s compliance with the terms in three months time.
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