A domestic bully who asked police to remove his wife from their home instead of his dangerous dog has been ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work.
Devout Christian Jackson Caven was found guilty of subjecting his wife to a course of coercive and controlling behaviour for nearly two years.
After the dog attacked his wife and a child, police officers arrived to try to remove the pet from the home.
Furious Caven told the officers he wanted to keep the dog and urged them to remove his wife from their house instead.
‘Fractious and toxic relationship’
Sheriff William Wood placed him under social work supervision for 12 months and banned him from having any contact with his estranged wife for two years.
The sheriff said: “Outwardly at least, you present as a decent and responsible member of society.
“You are a dedicated Christian and someone who has a sense of the right thing to do.
“What happens behind closed doors in a relationship can be complex.
“You were to blame and were found guilty of domestic abuse.
“It matters not that it was a fractious and toxic relationship.
“It is to be hoped that you have learned a lot of life lessons.
“The threshold has been reached but I am prepared to deal with it other than by a custodial sentence.”
‘He wasn’t joking’
Caven, 41, was previously found guilty of shouting and swearing and acting aggressively towards his wife between April 2020 1 and March 2022 22.
He was found guilty of repeatedly demanding money from her and punching holes in the doors and walls of their home, as well as calling her names.
Caven, from Birnam, was found guilty of failing to remove an aggressive dog from the house.
Perth Sheriff Court was told police officers had visited the house after a child reported being scared of the dog after being attacked.
A police officer told the court he and a colleague had discovered Caven had another home and advised him to move the dog there initially but he replied he would rather his wife moved.
“He wasn’t joking. He was angry.
“He shouted at me.
“We both discussed it and decided it would be better if the dog left the house.”
Another officer said: “He expressed no sympathy or empathy at all with their predicament and didn’t understand why he should remove the dog.
“To be blunt, his attitude was shocking – the way he spoke to his wife.
“He was very demeaning, very insulting.
“He was basically blaming his wife for the dog having bitten her and for us being at the door in the first place.
“He was very rude and off-hand. We both had to placate him.
“His manner was terrible.”
For the latest court cases across Tayside and Fife, join our Courts Facebook page.
