Man who abused Bo’ness woman is spared jail

A sheriff praised the bravery of Kieran Hoskins’ victims after being shown a clip of a graphic recording in which he can be heard shouting insults and hitting the young mum as she wails in distress, begging him to stop.

Hoskins escaped being sent to prison when he appeared for sentence at Livingston Sheriff Court.

Instead he was ordered to take part in an intensive two-year course designed to change his “appalling” attitude towards women.

He was also put under social work supervision for three years, ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work in the community and made subject to non-harassment orders banning him from approaching or contacting his victims for 10 years.

Sheriff Susan Craig told Hoskins that the intensive course – called the Caledonian Project – was “no soft option” and warned that if he breached any of the court orders he still faced being sent to jail.

Hoskins, 28, earlier pled guilty to repeatedly punching and kicking former girlfriend Lisa Tym by grabbing her by the hair and face and spitting in her face in disgusting attacks.

He admitted screaming derogatory insults at the young mum, making her fear for her safety by threatening her and her family with violence and sending her abusive and offensive text messages and voicemails.

He committed the offences at addresses in Bo’ness and Bathgate, West Lothian, between January 2016 and October 2017 while they were in a relationship.

Hoskins, of Murrayburn Park, Edinburgh, also pled guilty to subjecting an earlier partner Jodie Sheasby to similar verbal abuse, repeatedly shouting and swearing at her, making derogatory remarks and uttering violent threats.

He committed those offences at an address in Robertson Avenue, Edinburgh, between October and December 2010.

Kat Craig, prosecuting, said Hoskins – who was taking steroids and cocaine at the time – would fly into a rage and call the women insulting names as he assaulted them.

While Lisa was pregnant, she said, the accused repeated the obscenities and said he wished she and the baby would die.

He told her she was worthless and he wanted to throw her out on the street. When he learned she had been examined by a male doctor he became incensed called her a whore and a bitch.

After she had her baby he described her as “minging” and told her her stretch marks had “destroyed her body”.

When her child was eight weeks old he callously grabbed her and pushed her head forward causing her to head butt the baby.

Mrs Craig said Lisa eventually left Hoskins and went to stay with her mum in England, but he told her he was sorry and promised to get help with anger management issues.

She agreed to return to Scotland with him but his abusive behaviour continued.

After telling her mother details of her ordeal, Lisa reported Hoskins to Derbyshire Police in October 2017 .

She showed officers five videos she had secretly filmed showing him angrily shouting and swearing and being extremely abusive towards her.

Mrs Craig said Jodie, who moved to Scotland with the accused after meeting on holiday when she was 14 and he was 16, was subjected to similar vile abuse.

She said: “He uttered various threats of violence towards her, showed no respect for her and Hoskins stated he’d taken steroids which “made him angry”.

Alan Jackson, defending, claimed Hoskins had become visibly distressed when confronted with his behaviour towards the women and had agreed to submit and early guilty plea.

He said Hoskins didn’t really recognise the person in the narration and said the fact he knew he had the capacity to behave like that scared him.

“He’s had a lot of soul searching in relation to this behaviour which is demeaning, humiliating and controlling.

“He felt that Miss Tym and Miss Sheasby were far better than him and he didn’t deserve partners like them.

“Rather perversely he thought this was a way he could exert control. He accepts it was an appalling way to behave and he can’t forgive himself for that.”

He admitted that steroids and cocaine had played a significant role in the accused’s offending behaviour.

Passing sentence, Sheriff Craig told Hoskins the violence he had used against the women in two intimate relationships was clearly a crime.

She said: “You acted in a coercive, controlling, violent, humiliating manner towards the very people who had decided to share their lives with you.

“Rather than reducing your appalling behaviour towards them as your children came along, that only increased.

“I have to say it’s of no particular surprise to me that the strong feelings expressed by both of your victims in their notes to the court are the way they have expressed them:

“The constant humiliation by you including violence and spitting; degrading them; treating them in a disgraceful manner – it doesn’t surprise me that they are still concerned that they may accidentally meet you.

“Miss Sheasby speaks to being scared to answer the door in case you are there, even though that relationship ended years ago.

“Both of these victims should be commended for their bravery in coming forward. The fact you have pled guilty is a matter of relief to them because they don’t have to confront you in court.”

The sheriff said the question facing her was whether she should punish him by imposing a custodial sentence because his behaviour was so serious it was the only option or whether she should try to change his behaviour.

She told him: “There may be a suspicion that a community sentence is a soft option. It’s not. It’s far from being a soft option.

“The Caledonian Project is a very difficult project in the sense that those who enter the project receive intensive examinations and reflections on their behaviour and it’s very, very hard indeed.

“In fact, I’ve heard the view that some people would rather undergo a term of custody than undergo this.

“It will push you to reflect on the source of your appalling behaviour over a number of years and it will give you the tools you need to make sure that this is behind you.”

She added: “It seems to me from the fear that comes through these victim statements that they require the security of non-harrassment orders. Hopefully they’ll be able to to move forward with their lives.

“Given there are children in the relationships and both victims have expressed concern about the effect your behaviour had on these children it sees to me that there is appropriateness in making the length of the order span the young age of these children so it will be for 10 years.”