Court / Years of domestic abuse leads to supervision for Bixter man
Content warning: This story contains details of domestic abuse. If you have been affected by this issue, help is available.
A MAN who subjected his former partner to more than five years of abuse has been ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
Bernard Gartland, of Bixter, admitted a course of abusive behaviour that lasted from 1 January 2019 through to 12 April 2024.
Gartland repeatedly accused the woman of infidelity, barraged her with calls and messages and would shout and swear at her.
And the 33-year-old told the woman when she was driving to the NorthLink ferry: “Hope you crash the car and hope the boat sinks”.
The couple met in 2019 and Gartland began to become controlling in the first year of the relationship, Lerwick Sheriff Court heard during a lengthy narrative on Wednesday.
Gartland would regularly call and text her demanding to know where she was, and would repeatedly accuse her of cheating on him.
The woman began to develop low mood, procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said, and by January 2020 the couple were “on/off”.
Another go was given at the relationship, with a hope that Gartland would change his behaviour, but the court heard that his conduct did not improve.
After the woman moved out to Lerwick, Mackenzie said Gartland sent messages to her that were “threatening and abusive in a highly significant way”.
Mackenzie did not read all of the messages out in court due to their nature, but they were provided to Sheriff Ian Cruickshank.
By June 2021 the woman had decided to block Gartland, with her aunt remaining in contact with him to organise childcare.
But from March 2023 to April 2024 there was a “constant cycle” of abuse, Lerwick Sheriff Court heard.
Gartland had made threats towards the woman, and Mackenzie said she believed he would make good on these “if she didn’t do what he said”.
The woman went to Shetland Women’s Aid for support, and then decided to report Gartland to the police.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said Gartland was “heartbroken and lost” when the couple first separated.
During this time his use of alcohol and cocaine increased, with Allan saying his client had been left “emotionally distressed”.
Gartland had “sent the angriest messages he could think of” during “bursts of anger”, which were mostly if not all written while he was taking substances.
Allan said he had no intention to blame the victim, but said there were “things said on both sides that were less than guarded”.
He said his client understood the impact they would have had on the woman and their young child.
Sheriff Cruickshank said he would take into consideration that Gartland was a first offender along with a positive social work report.
However he said his abusive behaviour was carried out “over a lengthy period of time”, and that Gartland had used “extremely hurtful language” in his messages.
“Abusive language in relationships can have a harmful impact,” the sheriff said.
“I have no doubt it would have done so.”
He placed Gartland under supervision for a period of 15 months, and ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work within the next year.
A non-harassment order was also placed on Gartland and his former partner for two years.
He cannot approach or contact her, or attempt to do so, unless through a third party and for the purposes of childcare or child welfare.
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