LEE SPENCE FROM LESLIE NOW A REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER
A man from Leslie, identified as Lee Spence, has been sentenced to a term of 44 months in prison following a violent assault that left a woman severely injured.The incident, which took place on March 2 and 3 this year at Kirk Drive in Leslie, involved a brutal attack that included strangulation, physical violence, and psychological abuse.
Spence, aged 22 and currently unemployed, was initially charged with attempted murder due to the severity of his actions.
However, he ultimately pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of assault causing injury and danger to life.
The assault was characterized by sustained violence that resulted in the victim, a 20-year-old care assistant, suffering multiple injuries.
A doctor who examined her at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline documented 16 separate injuries, including hemorrhaging in her eyes, which was consistent with strangulation.
The presiding judge, Lady Carmichael, addressed Spence at the High Court in Edinburgh, emphasizing the gravity of the offense.
She stated that there was no alternative but to impose a custodial sentence, given that the assault involved hitting the victim on the head with a metal pole and restricting her breathing until she lost consciousness.
Lady Carmichael noted that Spence would have faced a sentence of approximately five and a half years if not for his early guilty plea.
According to the prosecution, advocate depute Margaret Barron, the attack was triggered by Spence’s intoxication and agitation.
The victim, who was at Spence’s home, was subjected to a terrifying ordeal after he became aggressive.
She recounted that Spence began shouting at her, calling her derogatory names such as “a slag,” and threatening to kill her.
The violence escalated when he grabbed a vacuum cleaner pole and struck her on the head with it.
He then proceeded to punch her repeatedly on the head and body, before grabbing her by the neck and squeezing tightly.
The victim later described losing consciousness during the attack, stating, “after a few minutes everything went black and the next thing I remember I woke up and he was crying.” She was unsure how long she was unconscious.
The assault continued when Spence grabbed her again by the neck, smashed a glass against a door, and stabbed her leg with shards of glass.
During this violent episode, he shouted at her, “Look what you made me do.” Adding to the brutality, Spence later laughed at the injured woman when she mentioned having a sore head.
He responded by saying, “that’s where I hit you with the hoover,” and then burst into laughter.
The victim’s colleagues later noticed her injuries, prompting police to be called to the scene.
Defense solicitor advocate Gordon Martin addressed the court, stating that Spence intended to seek help for issues related to substance misuse and anger management.
He explained that Spence has a low tolerance for boredom and expressed hope that he could address these underlying problems.
As part of his sentence, Spence will serve his time in custody and then be placed on a supervised release order for one year.
During this period, he will be under the supervision of local authorities, with the aim of preventing further incidents and encouraging rehabilitation.
——————————————————————————————————- NEW OFFENCE ——————————————————————————————————- A man from Fife who is already serving a lengthy prison sentence for attempting to kill his biological father has now been ordered to register as a sex offender.
Lee Spence, 25, is currently jailed for more than eight years after carrying out a violent assault on his father inside HMP Perth.
At the time of the attack, the victim did not know Spence was his son.
That conviction stemmed from events that occurred while Spence was already in custody awaiting trial on separate allegations.
Those earlier offences involved an incident in Glenrothes where Spence, who had been drinking and was carrying a knife, targeted a 16-year-old girl he did not know.
The court heard that Spence approached the teenager at a bus stop, questioned her about her age, and made comments that made her uncomfortable.
He then boarded the same bus as her, sat beside her despite there being plenty of empty seats, and continued making remarks about her appearance.
Fearing for her safety, the girl got off the bus before her intended stop.
Spence followed her off.
Following a jury trial last year, Spence was convicted of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards the teenager during the bus journey and later on South Street and Canon Street on March 26, 2025.
He was cleared of a separate sexual assault charge.
The girl cannot be identified for legal reasons.
Before the trial, Spence admitted that he had a Stanley knife on him during the incident.
He also accepted responsibility for behaving abusively towards police officers at the time of his arrest and for an earlier assault on his mother.
At a sentencing hearing at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, held by video link from prison, defence solicitor Calum Harris argued that the behaviour did not amount to a sexual offence and said Spence’s risk was already being managed in custody.
He told the court that the jury’s verdict suggested they did not view the conduct as sexual in nature and stressed that Spence was already subject to multiple safeguards, including a lengthy prison sentence and a post-release supervision period.
The prosecution took a different view, with fiscal Duncan Mackenzie arguing that Spence’s actions demonstrated an underlying sexual motivation and posed a risk to the public.
Sheriff Robert More described the case as a difficult and complex sentencing decision.
He sentenced Spence to a further 39 months in prison, backdated to March last year and running alongside his existing High Court sentence.
He also ordered that Spence be placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
In delivering his decision, the sheriff said the teenager had been alone at night when she was approached by a stranger who made inappropriate remarks, followed her onto and off a bus, and was in possession of a knife throughout the encounter.
He concluded that Spence’s behaviour showed a clear sexual interest in the girl and warranted registration, despite acknowledging the serious stigma that comes with it.
