PENSIONER SENTENCED AFTER HISTORICAL ABUSE WAS BROUGHT BEFORE THE COURT
A pensioner aged 72 has been sentenced to prison after admitting to a series of violent acts over 17 years directed at a woman and two children, alongside non-harassment orders that will prohibit him from contacting them for the next two decades.Martin Fleming carried out sustained abuse from the mid-1970s to early 1990s, which included causing serious injuries to one child and leaving another with lifelong scars by burning her with a cigarette lighter.
These details emerged during his sentencing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, following his guilty pleas to five criminal charges.
It was revealed that Fleming's abusive conduct started when he was under 25, taking place in multiple residences across Edinburgh from 1975 until 1992.
Among the assaults, he violently struck a three-year-old with a belt after a toilet accident, resulting in bruising that required hospital treatment.
Between 1985 and 1989, he burned a child's leg with a car cigarette lighter while they sat in a car parked at Cameron Toll shopping centre.
Additionally, he forced the head of one child into a pile of vomit when they were sick at an Edinburgh property, between 1981 and 1990.
Other instances involved forcing a child to repeatedly run up and down stairs, hitting their legs after each descent.
Fleming also assaulted the woman and children by hitting and thrashing them with wet towels, often reacting violently to minor provocations.
One particularly severe incident involved him grabbing the woman by the neck and strangling her until she was unconscious.
Because of the trauma inflicted, victims found it difficult to recall precise dates, with the court hearing that Fleming’s behavior was marked by frequent, brutal assaults.
Defense attorney Murray Aitken emphasized that Fleming had limited memory of the events, suggesting the delay was due to the passage of time and noting little ongoing contact with victims for many years.
He also mentioned Fleming’s attempts to downplay his role.
Sheriff Charles Walls described the conduct as deeply disturbing and praised the victims' courage in coming forward after many years.
The court acknowledged the lasting psychological and physical impact of the abuse and pointed out Fleming’s apparent lack of remorse.
The sentence included an 11-month jail term and non-harassment orders preventing him from contacting the victims for 20 years.
