FARMER CONVICTED OF 15 CHARGES OF SEXUAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE SENTENCED TO JAIL
A farm owner and convicted abuser named James McOuat, aged 44, from Pitcoag Farm, Glencarse, has been sentenced to jail after being found guilty on 15 charges relating to a lengthy campaign of sexual and physical abuse against two women.During his trial at Perth Sheriff Court, it was revealed that McOuat had inflicted severe cruelty and violence, including grabbing and biting one woman's nipples, pulling her private parts, and choking her with a pillow to restrict her breathing on multiple occasions.
He also threw a plate of spaghetti at one woman because he didn't want to eat pasta twice a week, and on another occasion, he pulled out a gun threatening to kill himself.
The court heard that McOuat had a façade of respectability but behind closed doors, he maintained a campaign of controlling, abusive, and coercive behaviour, with victims feeling shame and blaming themselves for what happened.
Sheriff Gillian Wade expressed her view that due to the seriousness of his offences, McOuat, a married father of four, must serve time in prison despite concerns about his farming business.
The jury convicted him of multiple assaults, including pushing victims out of bed onto a cold floor, throwing chairs, threatening with a gun, and other physical violence, alongside sexual assault, such as twisting nipples and grabbing private parts.
The court was told he often blamed his victims and showed no remorse.
Several charges, including attacking one woman with deodorant for refusing sex, were not proven.
McOuat was sentenced to imprisonment, and his actions have been described as 'evil' and indicative of a high risk to women.
