SCOTT FRENCH: 'IMMATURE' DOMESTIC ABUSER AVOIDS JAIL SENTENCE
A domestic violence offender broke down in tears in court after narrowly avoiding jail this week, following his conviction for a pattern of assault against his partner, some of which occurred while she was pregnant with his child.Scott French, from Tranent, faced trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month after denying he assaulted his then-girlfriend at his residence and at an address in Steading View, Tranent.
A jury unanimously found that French had engaged in a series of abusive acts towards the woman between May 1, 2020, and March 6, 2021.
The jury convicted him of several offences, including struggling with the woman, placing his hands around her neck, and compressing her throat on December 4, 2020.
They also found that he pushed his teeth into her head and restricted her breathing during that incident, knowing she was pregnant at the time.
On another occasion, November 11, 2020, French threw the woman’s mobile phone out of a moving vehicle and then ran over it to destroy it.
He cut his own face Following this, French made the woman leave the vehicle and abandoned her in an unfamiliar location with no way to contact anyone.
He further prevented her from speaking to any men, repeatedly punched her in the head and body, shouted, swore, and refused to let her leave his home on December 14, 2020.
Another incident involved French, who lives on The Heugh, grabbing her by the hair and repeatedly hitting her on the head, which caused her to fall to the ground and press her head against stairs.
That day, February 6 last year, the abusive behavior continued as French restricted her breathing and threatened to kill himself.
It was also revealed in court that he cut his own face with a set of keys and told her he would falsely accuse her of assaulting him if the police were involved.
French pleaded not guilty to all charges but was ultimately convicted of an amended complaint after the jury’s unanimous verdict in a lengthy trial.
'Very immature' At the sentencing hearing on Monday, Sheriff Frank Crowe described the social work report as “terrible reading” and noted that French, who denied any guilt, displayed “totally irresponsible” behavior.
Sheriff Crowe emphasized that French’s violent and controlling conduct was highly unacceptable and urged him to “wake up and smell the coffee.” He also pointed out that French, an unemployed joiner, provided evidence that was “just not true.” The sheriff told him: “This was a long trial, and you were found guilty of a very serious charge of domestic abuse.
“I believe you are a very immature 23-year-old who has yet to truly understand reality.” As Sheriff Crowe announced the sentence, French was seen crying.
Instead of imprisonment, the sheriff imposed a three-year supervision order, requiring French to attend anger management sessions.
He was also ordered to pay €1,500 in compensation to the woman and was placed under a five-year non-harassment order that bans him from contacting her.
