Man convicted of raping and attempting to kill Alva woman

Malcolm "Beefy" Leask, who was 31 stone at the time, used his enormous weight to pin one of his partners down before raping her, and wore the other down with constant demands to have sex even though she did not want to.

The 35-year-old, who has since dramatically slimmed, claimed in his defence he could not have committed the attempted murder and other crimes of violence against his partners because he was too fat to have offended in that way.

However, he was found guilty at the High Court in Stirling last week and is now awaiting sentence after carrying out a catalogue of "violence and abuse of children, women and animals" at addresses in Clackmannanshire and Orkney between 2008 and 2019.

He assaulted three children, the court heard, and caused suffering to animals by kicking, punching and choking two pet dogs and a puppy.

An allegation that he had battered two terrapins to death with a hammer was withdrawn by the prosecution.

One woman who lived with Leask for seven years, from the time she was 19, told the High Court in Stirling he had raped her repeatedly during their relationship.

She said that he abused her while she slept, pinned her by the throat, kneed her in the groin, punched her in the stomach and regularly locked her in their house in Alva.

The woman added that he choked her and held her head under water in the bath until she passed out, pushed her over on the stairs while she was holding a young child, and kneed her low in the stomach while she was pregnant causing "searing pain".

He repeatedly used derogatory language to her, restricted and monitored her contact with family and friends, chose her clothing, and removed her lower clothing while she was asleep.

He also lifted her toddler daughter clean off the ground and threw her onto a chair, and subjected the family Labrador to five years of brutality, punching and kicking the animal on its head and body, kneeling on its stomach, deliberately blowing smoke in its face, putting his hands round its throat and choking it.

Another woman, a mother-of-two, now 33, told the jury Leask had subjected her to two and a half years of "just pure nastiness" while she lived with him in Kirkwall, Orkney.

GUILTY: Malcolm Leask, outside the High Court in Stirling where he was convicted of assault, rape and attempted murder. Pictures by The Central Scotland News Agency.

She said: "He just messed with my head. Every day he'd say something.

"He wouldn't really allow me to see my friends.

"He'd try to make me wear pants, not thongs.

"When I tried to leave with the children he picked me up and threw me into the kitchen.

"He said if I left him he had these two friends and they would kill me.

"He would become physical twice a week for two and a half years."

She said he had shouted and swore at her young daughter, forcefully putting her on a step. He had also attacked and injured her eight-year-old son, once chasing him upstairs and grabbing his finger, and another time grabbing him by the neck and "throwing" him out of the kitchen.

The woman said she had twice had to have sex with him when she did not want to – amounting to rape.

He attacked both of her dogs.

He punched and kicked her border collie in the head and side, breaking one of his ribs, and put a black bin bag over his head and tried to suffocate him.

Another time he picked the "scared and yelping" border collie up by his armpits and threw him onto the floor – meaning the dog still had problems with his back legs.

He also attacked her eight-month-old German Shepherd puppy, punching him on the head and ribs and "stamping" on his head.

She said she once came in to find Leask "strangling" him.

Leask told her the pup "had been bad and needed to be punished".

She told the jury she had eventually left Leask for fear of her "children being taken away".

Police were called in after the two women, and a third former partner of Leask, all of whom had been at secondary school together with Leask in Orkney, conferred over social media.

Leask, now married, denied all the charges.

GUILTY: Malcolm Leask, outside the High Court in Stirling where he was convicted of assault, rape and attempted murder. Pictures by The Central Scotland News Agency.

During evidence, he told his counsel, Gordon Jackson, KC, there was "never an occasion" when he'd had sex with the women without consent.

Questioned by Mr Jackson about the attempted murder allegation and other allegations of violence, he said: "I was between 27 and a half and 31 stone.

"I was morbidly obese – That's why I was called 'Beefy'.

"I'd been told if I didn't start using my legs I'd end up losing my legs.

"I was massive.

"I couldn't fit through that [court] door even if I turned on my side.

"I didn't have the health in my back or the strength to hold somebody under water."

He said his victims had made up allegations about him being violent because he had "made them jealous" by "going on to better things".

After four days of evidence, a jury of 11 men and four women took almost two days to find Leask, of Stromness, Orkney, guilty of six charges of assault, six of rape, one of attempted murder, one of breach of the peace, two of threatening and abusive behaviour, and three of animal cruelty.

Judge Lord Scott deferred sentence until May 24 at the High Court in Edinburgh, remanded Leask in custody, and said his name would be entered on the sex offenders' register for life.

He said: "These are extremely serious charges."

He said he would need to consider if a custodial sentence on its own would be enough – or if he would have to pass an extended sentence on Leask, for the protection of the public.

Leask showed no emotion as he was led to the cells.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, help is available at the following:-

Rape Crisis Scotland: 08088 010302 

The Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0800 027 1234 (helpline@sdafmh.org.uk)

Clackmannanshire Women's Aid: 01259 721 407 (info@clackswomensaid.org.uk)