A Highland church missionary who conducted a campaign of domestic abuse against his vulnerable wife received a stern warning from a sheriff that he would be jailed if he offended again.
Sheriff David Harvie described the case involving Donald Morrison, formerly of Old Edinburgh Road in Inverness, as “very disturbing” and said he has “deep concerns” about Morrison and his victim getting back together.
Morrison had been appearing at Inverness Sheriff Court for sentencing after Sheriff Harvie convicted him earlier this summer of abusing and assaulting his wife between November 2022 and November 2023.
He was also found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice by writing templates of emails for his wife trying to get the case against him dropped and also a breach of a special bail condition not to contact her.
Morrison was ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and take part in a two-year-long programme to rehabilitate male domestic abusers as an alternative to custody.
A background report on Morrison revealed that he still blamed his wife for many of the problems.
‘I want to keep an eye on you’
However, the sheriff was told that the couple hoped to reunite after his bail conditions preventing him from contacting or being with her were lifted.
Sheriff Harvie said he was concerned about the prospect of the relationship resuming because of Morrison’s attitude and he would reserve consideration of a non-harassment order until a November 4 review of his community payback order.
He told Morrison: “I want to keep an eye on you because I have concerns, especially in the next few weeks. You will have to have a significant change of mindset.
“It is clear there are significant issues facing the family because of you. This was a very disturbing case involving a complainer whose vulnerabilities were manifest for all to see.
“In the report there is a clear theme that you believed a lot of this was her fault and that is of deep concern.
“You seem to have little understanding of your behaviour and you made numerous attempts at deception towards your wife, the procurator fiscal and the court.”
Morrison – who received a package of excrement though the post after speaking out against 2018’s Ness Pride event on “biblical, religious and moral grounds” – was convicted after the court heard harrowing evidence from Mrs Morrison and two other church members.
The trial heard Mrs Morrison say she still loved her husband, despite once being attacked with a shinty stick.
She suffered a cut above her eye when he swung out at her and was struck on the back of the neck and head repeatedly when they were visiting her family in Holland following the death of her sister.
He claimed he was only acting in self-defence as his wife was sometimes physical towards him, pushing him onto a bed or the floor in anger.
Wife blamed church for marriage problems
On being questioned by defence solicitor Graham Mann, Morrison denied the violence was deliberate, saying it was accidental.
“Not once have I gone out of my way to do anything to my wife directly or indirectly to cause my wife harm,” he told the court.
But he was vague in his evidence on the details of her physicality, how or why the incidents happened.
Mrs Morrison blamed the church for the problems in their marriage, as her husband travelled all over Scotland sometimes for eight days and nights at a time.
“I was burned out, looking after the children. It was a topic we fell out about all the time for 17 years. My mind and body couldn’t take any more,” she said.
“I felt a slave. The church disrespects women. I told them for 10 years that we were struggling and things were not going great. I was not taken seriously.”
She admitted in evidence that she would sometimes push her husband but added it was to make him stop shouting at her.
‘He started hitting me and kicking my legs’
She described an incident in Holland when she went to her sister’s funeral.
“He whacked my neck and face with his hand, knocking my glasses off and causing a cut which looked very bad. Blood covered my clothes.
“I am an early bird, early to bed but he is an evening owl. I asked him to come to bed and hold me. He said he couldn’t because he wouldn’t sleep.
“He said please leave me alone. I asked him for a third time to hug me because I was upset about my sister.
“He started hitting me and kicking my legs. I thought he would break my leg. He was hitting me on the upper arm and neck. I had bruises. It was a month after my sister took her own life.
“For 95% of our marriage he has been the one to calm me down – a loving husband. But I was not scared of him as a person.”
