Grangemouth domestic offender granted time off from tag to travel down south

William Campbell, 61, appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday, looking for his restriction of liberty order to be removed for a couple of days next month so he could travel down south.

Campbell had been found guilty of assaulting a woman at an address in Blinkbonnie Terrace, Slamannan, on October 21 last year.

The charges stated he seized her by her clothing and pushed her onto a bed, before grabbing her throat and applying pressure and engaging in a struggle with her to her injury.

At an earlier court appearance back in June, Sheriff Christopher Shead had to recall the case of the convicted domestic abuser because he was not open to

accepting any punishment for his crime.

Sheriff Shead, who presided over Campbell’s trial, was asked to treat the matter as an “isolated incident”.

However, he was concerned by the number of times police had been called to Campbell’s property due to “domestic abuse” matters.

Campbell, who supposedly suffers from anxiety and was described as an “isolated, anxious person”, was said to be minimising the offence and was initially unwilling

to carry out unpaid work or be placed on a restriction of liberty order.

After recalling the case Sheriff Shead placed Campbell, 7 Earn Court, Grangemouth, on a supervised community payback order for two years and made him subject

to a restriction of liberty order, meaning he must remain in his home from 7pm to 7am each day for six months.

Last Thursday, Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane was requested to suspend the restriction of liberty order for two days – stretching from November 6 to November 9 – to

allow Campbell to travel down south to Northampton and London.

She noted Campbell, who was representing himself at court, had already enjoyed a number “suspensions” of his restriction of liberty order for a variety of reasons.

However, she allowed the order to be suspended for the “short period of time”.