Edinburgh crime: Violent joiner Gavin Munro admits campaign of abuse towards partner over 30 years

The victim and her children live in fear of his drunken behaviour.

An Edinburgh man carried out a shocking 30 year campaign of domestic abuse against his partner including strangling her and breaking her finger.

Gavin Munro, 62, repeatedly abused and assaulted his victim over three decades when he would come home drunk from sessions in his local pub. Munro regularly punched the woman to the face leaving her with black eyes, seized her by the hair and dragged her along the ground on occasions during their long relationship.

The thug also pulled a knife on the woman during one attack while he also left her with a broken finger during a separate savage incident at the couple’s Edinburgh home. Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the father-of-four would often target his partner in front of their children leaving the family in fear of his drunken behaviour.

Edinburgh man Gavin Munro appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court

A written narration into the prolonged domestic abuse detailed numerous occasions when Munro would return home in a drunken state and attack his partner. The court was told the couple had been together for 33 years and Munro, a joiner to trade, would head to the pub after his work “on a daily basis”.

He would return to the family home where he was said to be “physically and verbally abusive” towards his partner and would also accuse her of having affairs with male friends. The abused victim refused to report any of the brutal assaults to the police and the court was told she would often use make up to cover up the bruising to her face.

The court heard the abuse came to an end last year when she was forced to phone her daughter for help following another shocking attack on her. The narration stated Munro had launched cans of lager at the victim, grabbed hold of her throat and pretended to headbutt her during a drunken incident in March last year.

Police raced to the property where the woman eventually “made disclosures” to officers about the prolonged abuse she had suffered over the years. Munro admitted the abusive behaviour over a 30 year period when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month and he was back in the dock for sentencing on Wednesday.

Solicitor Steven Donald told the court his client had worked as a joiner for 30 years and was currently volunteering at a city centre soup kitchen. Mr Donald said: “It would appear his habit would be to get up, go to work, go the pub and then come back home and be abusive.”

The lawyer said Munro broke down when reading his children’s police statements that described them as being “fearful of him” during his decades of abusive behaviour. Mr Donald added Munro had “made improvements” to his life by attending sessions with the Change, Grow, Live organisation and had not drunk alcohol for the past 12 months.

Sheriff Ian Anderson said: “This was a very serious offence and a very long course of abusive behaviour. But I do take into account you have a limited record, take into account there has been no offending since and also take into account what you have done already. Your partner may think this is an inadequate punishment but it is in my view appropriate in the circumstances.”

Sheriff Anderson placed Munro on a two year supervision order and told him he must engage with the domestic abuse organisation, the Caledonian Mens Programme. Munro, of Gilmerton, Edinburgh, was also handed a non-harassment order banning him from having any contact with his victim for the next five years.

Munro pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman on various occasions between January 1, 1992 and March 10 last year. He also admitted to a charge of conducting himself in a disorderly manner towards her and committing a breach of the peace between the same dates.