Women praised for speaking out as domestic abuser jailed

Steven Douglas was found guilty of a series of offences against the duo and jailed for four years.

He was sentenced today after a trial at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.

Detective Inspector Graeme Dursley of Fife Division CID said: “I believe that if the women he abused hadn’t been brave enough to give evidence against him then we would not have been able to secure a conviction.’’

Douglas‘ offences included domestic assault and abduction.

Detectives from the Fife Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit began to investigate him in 2014 after it was identified that he was a serial offender in violent crimes against women.

Both women disclosed that they were the victims of a number of offences committed by Douglas between 1989 and 2001.

The majority of them took place in Kirkcaldy.

DI Dursley said: “The suffering that that Douglas inflicted on his victims over a sustained period of time is deplorable, and his arrest came as a result of a thorough police investigation.

“I believe that if the women he abused hadn’t been brave enough to give evidence against him then we would not have been able to secure a conviction.

“I would like to thank each of these individuals for all of their assistance and support throughout our enquiries and the subsequent court trial and I hope that they can take some comfort following today’s sentence and begin to move forward with their lives.

“We are wholly committed to tackling all cases of domestic abuse that are reported and other associated violent offences.

‘‘We will continue to work with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to bring relevant offenders to justice.”