MARK JAMES

NORTH-EAST FOOTBALL COACH ADMITS YEARS OF ABUSE

A north-east football coach has admitted subjecting a woman and a young girl to years of abuse.Mark James, from Fraserburgh, carried out a campaign of terror while living in the Buckie area between May 2014 and October 11, last year.His own lawyer condemned the 38-year-old’s behaviour as “absolutely abhorrent” when he appeared yesterday at Elgin Sheriff Court.James pled guilty to “acting in an aggressive manner” towards the woman by “repeatedly striking her on the head and body to her injury” during that period.The accused, who lives on Fraserburgh’s West Road, accepted another charge of “repeatedly striking” a young girl on the head and body, and “seizing her by the neck to her injury” over the same time frame.James has helped coach Scottish Junior Football Association club Buckie Rovers, and trains youngsters as part of that role.The court heard that he had become “frustrated” due to losing his job at the time of the abuse.His lawyer, Iain Maltman, said: “This behaviour was absolutely abhorrent, and he will engage with social workers to make sure nothing like it happens again.”Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov said it was “somewhat unusual” that the offences were not attributed to alcohol consumption, but to the personality of the accused.She sentenced James to perform 300 hours of unpaid work in the next year, and to remain in his home between 7pm and 5.30am on weekdays for the next six months, and between 7pm and 7am at weekends.He will also remain under supervision for the next two years, and a non-harrassment order lasting for three years was imposed regarding his victims.Sheriff Pasportnikov told James he would receive “no second chances” should he break any of the orders.