A bottle-of-whisky-a-day Angus domestic abuser has avoided going behind bars for a catalogue of controlling conduct against his partner and threats to harm her and himself.
Sean Leggatt also subjected Kirriemuir neighbours to a six-hour barrage of deafening music which shook the walls of another property before police were able to seize the “growling” offender’s hi-fi system.
The 36-year-old will now undergo an alcohol treatment programme as part of a two-year community payback order after a sheriff said Leggat should take responsibility for his offending, following a lengthy gap in his record.
Leggatt, of Restenneth Drive, Forfar, appeared for sentence having previously admitted engaging in a course of offensive behaviour towards his partner between April 2019 and January this year.
He pled guilty to further domestic abuse in May this year, and to playing the loud music on July 12 in the property he was living in above a Kirriemuir takeaway.
The court heard Leggatt and his partner had been together for almost 18 years but the relationship hit problems due to his alcohol intake which saw him usually consume at least a bottle of whisky each evening after coming home from work.
When his partner was not at home he bombarded her with text and Snapchat messages demanding to know where she was, but after sobering up Leggatt would be extremely apologetic.
In the July incident, neighbours heard loud music around 11.45am but tolerated it until 6.15pm when police were called.
Officers spent more than an hour trying to get the accused to answer the door and were about to force entry to the house when Leggatt allowed them in, but argued the volume wasn’t excessive.
Police then left but within minutes he cranked the volume up again, causing the walls of a neighbour’s property to shake.
When the officers returned, the heavily intoxicated chef was described as being increasingly confrontational and he started growling as he was being arrested.
Defence solicitor Michael Boyd said: “He had offending behaviour as a young man but managed to grow out of that.
“Every offence is committed under the influence of alcohol and he has very limited recollection of any of them.
“The relationship is over and he has lost his job in the takeaway,” said Mr Boyd.
Sheriff Derek Reekie told Leggatt: “You are obviously in a very bad place and I take account of the fact that there is nothing from 2006 until these incidents.
“Clearly alcohol is at the root of all this and you are going to have to take responsibility.”
