A man has received a 32 month prison sentence at Lerwick Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to eleven domestic abuse charges relating to the physical and verbal abuse of his wife.

According to the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service, the 62-year-old man used a variety of abusive means to humiliate, dominate and assert control over his wife between December 1988 and March 2017.

Over a significant period of time, Robert Simmons subjected his wife to a series of violent and degrading assaults which took many forms, including forcing his victim into an outbuilding where he would make her stand before hosing her with cold water.

In late 1997, Simmons carried out an assault by instructing her to lie on the floor before putting his foot on her head and forcing her head down into the floor with such force that she was subsequently left with two black eyes.

The pattern of behaviour continued with Simmons striking his wife in May 2015 following a minor disagreement which left her with a bleeding nose and a black eye.

“Robert Simmons’ violent and controlling course of conduct, which endured over a period of decades, has caused his victim untold distress,” commented Anne Marie Hicks, National Procurator Fiscal for Domestic Abuse.

“Violent and abusive behaviour, such as Simmons’ is never acceptable and we strongly encourage anyone who has been a victim of any such offences, no matter when they occurred, to report this to the police,” she added. “COPFS are committed to prosecuting crimes of domestic abuse effectively and appropriately, and to working with the police and our partners, to support victims through the criminal justice process.”

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