Former officer jailed for ‘appalling abuse’ of three women
A former Police Scotland officer who subjected three former partners to a campaign of controlling, violent and sexual abuse has been jailed.
Christopher Ferguson had been found guilty of nine charges – including two counts of voyeurism – on June 13 following a trial at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
The 31-year-old, from Wishaw, targeted his victims over a 14-year period in the Lanarkshire area, including while he was based at Glasgow’s Helen Street police station, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said.
He subjected one woman to repeated assaults as well as telling her what she could wear, reading her text messages and taking away her mobile phone.
Ferguson was found guilty of stalking the same woman through repeated calls and texts, delivering unwanted gifts, monitoring her social media and waiting outside a relative’s property for her.
He behaved in an abusive manner by disclosing intimate photographs of a second woman, repeatedly shouting and swearing as well as making threats to harm himself.
Ferguson subjected her to repeated violent assaults, including choking her to her injury on various occasions, the COPFS said.
A third woman was also repeatedly attacked by Ferguson, who caused her to fall down a flight of stairs.
He stalked the same woman by repeatedly monitoring her movements, turning up at her home and contacting her about an ongoing police investigation against him.
Ferguson was arrested and charged in 2021 following an investigation by Police Scotland, where officers took proactive steps to identify and approach further potential victims. He was suspended immediately and has since resigned.
On Wednesday (August 21), at Hamilton Sheriff Court, Ferguson was sentenced to three years and nine months imprisonment.
He was also given a non-harassment order and placed on the sex offenders register for ten years
On sentencing, Sheriff Linda Nicolson said: “The offences which you were found guilty of are serious, both individually but also in the pattern they formed over a period of around 14 years.
“During that time, and as you became more mature, your offending behaviour escalated in terms of the range and gravity of offences.
“That escalation also coincided with you becoming a police officer, a development which led you to become someone trusted to uphold the law and protect others. It would also have led you to a more in depth understanding of the harmfulness of domestic abuse. The later offences were also made more serious because they were committed in the context of the previous offending behaviour.
“I have had the opportunity of reading the victim impact statements of the second and third complainer. They disclose profound and ongoing harm which has adversely impacted on many aspects of their lives and continues to do so. Although the first complainer has chosen not to submit such a statement, it was clear from her evidence that your conduct caused significant distress to her over a period of years.
“Your culpability and the harm caused are such that there is no alternative but a custodial sentence.”
Les Brown, Procurator Fiscal for South Strathclyde, said: “Christopher Ferguson is a habitual domestic abuser who inflicted unimaginable trauma on his victims.
“It took courage for them to speak out against a figure of some authority and I would commend their determination to seek justice.
“The Crown is committed to the effective and fair prosecution of domestic and sexual crime, no matter who the offender is.
“I would urge anyone who has been the victim of similar offences to come forward.
“You will be listened to and supported as we use all the tools available to us to seek justice.”
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said: “My thoughts remain with those who survived the appalling abuse by Christopher Ferguson and I commend their strength in reporting these crimes and bringing him to justice.
“We understand how difficult it can be to report these kinds of offences, particularly when the perpetrator is a police officer, but I want the public to be reassured that all reports are thoroughly investigated, no matter when the offending took place or who is involved.
“It is right that policing is held to high standards at all times and we will always support officers and staff acting with our values and standards at heart. The onus is on policing to build and maintain public confidence and consent which is critical in our ability to keep our communities and citizens safe.
“Criminality or misconduct by officers or staff damages public confidence and there is no place in policing for those who do not uphold our values.”