A Fife man who physically abused two young boys, including forcing one under bath water until he struggled to breathe, has been jailed.
A jury found George Oliver found guilty of assaulting the children and a woman on various occasions in Dunfermline during a period spanning more than 11 years, from August 2003 to April 2015.
The court heard he physically assaulted one boy for more than 11 years and would force him into cold baths.
Oliver, 50, was remanded last month following his trial and appeared in court by video link from prison for sentencing.
Sheriff Charles Macnair jailed him for 30 months and said the violence will have had a serious impact on the boys’ childhoods.
A victim’s family member told The Courier it “was not long enough” as the children will be affected for life in comparison to Oliver, who could be released from prison after 15 months if he has been of good behaviour.
Child abuse
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard the boys, now adults, were aged six and 10 when the assaults began.
One of his victims told the trial Oliver would repeatedly hit him and held his head down in a bath.
The victim recalled “struggling to breathe” as his head was put under bath water for “about 30 seconds”.
He said it left him scared to use the shower.
Oliver was convicted of striking the boy on the head and body and forcing his head under water whereby he was unable to breathe.
He was found guilty of assaulting another boy to his injury by punching him on the head and body, throwing him and causing him to strike his head on an appliance, seizing him by the throat, pinning him against a wall and door, and smacking his buttocks.
Assaulted woman
Oliver, of Nelson Street, Kirkcaldy, was also convicted of assaulting a woman over a period of nearly 11 years.
He punched her on the head and body and seized her by the hair to her injury.
Jurors were shown photographs taken in 2004 showing a black eye and swelling to the woman’s face, which she said was the result of his first assault.
She said: “He lost his temper and hit me with his fist on my eye”.
Asked how frequently he would hit her, she said “anything from once or two times a month” on the top half of her body.
She said she did not show her injuries to anyone else but told her mother sometimes.
The trial heard arrangements were made for Oliver to take anger management sessions after the 2004 incident but he did not go beyond the first two sessions.
Oliver was found guilty of a fourth charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting and swearing towards them all on various occasions.
Maintains innocence
During the sentencing hearing, Mr Flett asked for a community-based disposal and highlighted positive references from an employer and a landlord.
The solicitor said his client maintained his innocence and pointed out no-one required medical attention as a result of his crimes.
Mr Flett said Oliver has a previous domestically-aggravated conviction from 2015, which resulted in sentencing being deferred for good behaviour and then admonishment.
Oliver’s 30 month sentence was backdated to March 17 when he was remanded in custody.
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