JAMIE MCGOUGH FROM FALKIRK SENTENCED FOR DECADES OF ABUSE AT T IN THE PARK AND ACROSS SCOTLAND

A man named Jamie McGough, aged 36 and hailing from Falkirk, has been sentenced to prison after a lengthy and disturbing history of abusing multiple women over a span of nearly 20 years. The abuse took place at various locations across Scotland, including at the renowned T in the Park music festival held in Kinross, as well as in towns such as Stenhousemuir and Airdrie. The severity and duration of McGough’s conduct prompted a sheriff to describe his actions as the most sustained period of domestic abuse and violence he had ever encountered in his judicial career.

McGough’s criminal behavior involved a series of heinous acts directed at different women, some of whom he had relationships with, while others were victims at the music festival and in other locations. One of his victims, a mother from Falkirk, endured nearly two years of controlling and abusive behavior that was described as “truly horrific” by the court. Despite their breakup, McGough continued to threaten and intimidate her, including threats to set her house and car on fire. On one occasion, he forcibly entered her home at 6am using a garden rake, smashing his way inside. He accused her of infidelity, threatened to post intimate images of her online, and demanded she send him videos and photos to verify her whereabouts and activities.

Further disturbing actions included McGough setting up location tracking on her phone without her consent and physically examining her on two separate occasions to determine if she had been sexually active with another man. The victim expressed her discomfort, telling him that his actions were “degrading and not normal,” but he persisted. After their relationship ended, McGough continued to harass her, sending a WhatsApp message claiming he was coming from North Lanarkshire to her new home in Falkirk because he “needed comfort.” He followed this with a video of himself smashing a bottle and another from a taxi, indicating his intent to visit her. When she refused to let him in, he forcibly removed her Ring doorbell and threatened to burn her house. He also made phone calls from jail, which she had to have blocked by prison authorities.

In addition to the abuse in Falkirk, McGough’s victims in North Lanarkshire suffered assaults at addresses in Airdrie and during the T in the Park festival. These assaults involved him striking women with Timberland and Ugg boots, spitting on them, and repeatedly hitting them with household objects. One victim was even targeted with a thrown kitchen knife, which narrowly missed her but lodged in the wall behind her. During the festival, McGough assaulted one woman when he became annoyed that she was on the phone with her mother, repeatedly punching and spitting on her until festival stewards and police intervened.

McGough faced multiple charges, including two counts of assault and one of subjecting a partner to a course of abusive behavior. He pled guilty to these charges at Stirling Sheriff Court. The court heard detailed accounts of his actions, which spanned from 2005 to 2024, involving physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Sheriff Derek Hamilton sentenced McGough to 39 months in prison, with an additional two-year extension during which he could be recalled if he reoffends. The court also ordered him to register as a sex offender for ten years and imposed a non-harassment order preventing any contact with his most recent victim for five years.

In his sentencing remarks, Sheriff Hamilton emphasized the gravity and persistence of McGough’s abusive conduct. He stated, “You have sought, as reported by the social worker, to minimise your behaviour. You inflicted a catalogue of physical and mental abuse and at times sexual abuse, over a period of many, many years and involving a number of women.” The sheriff further remarked, “I doubt if I’ve seen a more sustained period of domestic abuse and violence,” and described the catalogue of controlling behavior as “truly horrific.” He noted that even after separation, McGough continued to physically and emotionally abuse his victims, showing little remorse and attempting to blame them for his actions.