A woman abused by her former partner said the criminal justice system failed her – after he walked free despite being given an 18-month jail term. Andrew Crawford subjected his victim to years of torture, including biting her, attacking her with a saw, putting a tracker device on her car and forcing her to strip to check she had not been unfaithful.
But the 43-year-old, from Perth, was able to leave the court a free man on the day he was sentenced because he had served half that time on remand. The victim, who has asked to remain anonymous to protect her young child, told how it was a devastating blow to know he had been given his liberty.
She said: “It was a real shock when I realised, despite being sentenced to 18 months, he’d be back in his own home that night – it didn’t feel like justice.
