Poet reveals four-year domestic abuse ordeal

Scots poet Len Pennie has revealed the toll a four-year battle to escape a domestic abuser has taken on her life.

In public, the 24-year-old appears confident and upbeat in her “Scots Word of the Day” social media videos.

But despite enjoying great popularity, Ms Pennie’s social media accounts were set to private in 2022.

It is only now that the writer admits she has been battling a private war of violence and stalking, waged by an ex-partner.

During lockdown, Len Pennie’s social media content – short, often funny, examples of Scots language words – sparked a global wave of interest in the language and grew her following to more than 1.3m people.

But while her audience grew her appearances became less and less frequent.

A new BBC Disclosure documentary reveals that Ms Pennie has been maintaining a stoic public front while her abuse ordeal has upended her life, impacted her health and left her fearing for her safety.

The investigation – due to be broadcast on 11 March – follows her as she tried to secure justice through the Scottish courts.

She describes her relationship with Gregor Monson.

“I was 17 when I met him” she says.

“I was really trusting, and optimistic. I was so hopeful and I had all these ideas about life and love. I miss her.”

The couple got together in 2017 and began sharing a house a few years later.

But Monson turned violent during lockdown.

Ms Pennie left him in 2020 but the abuse did not end and Monson began a campaign of harassment.

She reported him to police, hoping that would end the bombardment of messages. But they continued.

Monson was charged and a trial date was set for April 2022. This was adjourned, in the first of what would become several delays.

‘Feared for my life’

The process ended with Monson’s conviction at Dundee Sheriff Court in October last year. After maintaining a plea of not guilty for a year and a half, on the day of his trial he changed his plea to guilty on one charge under Scotland’s Domestic Abuse Act.

The 24-year-old admitted attacking Len during lockdown, pushing her to the ground twice and twisting her arm behind her back.

“I’ve feared for my life” she said.

“There was a time when he had shoved me and I was looking at him from the floor and I said, ‘I’m going to phone the police’, and he said, ‘do it, the police are going to laugh at you – they’re going to laugh at you, and they’re not going to believe you’.”

Monson also admitted sending Len hundreds of voicemails, audio files and social media messages for nearly three years after she left him.

His messages – sometimes up to an hour in length – would come at all hours of the night and often made reference to posts she had made on social media.

Police advised her to make her social media accounts private for her own safety, entering what she describes as a forced “period of stagnation” in the role she dearly loves.

“It was just constant”, she said.

“It was emails, calls, texts, everything, and it was just too much. So I block him, I block him, block him, but it kept coming. He continued to insert himself into my life. And it makes me feel terrified.

“It has had such a detrimental impact on my mental and physical health, the mental and physical health of my family, my financial situation, my job, my home situation.

“There’s not a single aspect of my life that this doesn’t poison and ruin,” she added.

Gregor Monson pled guilty to a domestic abuse charge

Monson was sentenced at Dundee Sheriff Court in January. He was ordered to take part in a two-year rehabilitation course for domestic abusers. The sheriff also granted a three-year non-harassment order, preventing him from contacting his former partner.

Despite the obstacles and the stress of the court case, there have been some moments of triumph along the way.

She credits staff from Action Against Stalking, Fife Women’s Aid and Dundee Assist with providing lifeline support.

In October last year, a nervous Len, accompanied by Melanie, her support worker from Fife Women’s Aid, made her way into court to give evidence against Monson.

After a several hours of waiting, the news came through that he had pleaded guilty, meaning Len no longer had to give evidence. The case was effectively over. It was the closest she would come to a win.

On the steps outside court, she fought back tears of relief.

She has a message for other survivors: “There are people out there who will believe you and will listen to you and will fight for you. There are external agencies who truly do fill in the gaps, and they truly do provide the support that you need because you can’t do this alone.

“You can’t fight this on your own. You should speak out if it happens, because it happens too much and it needs to change.”

The writer is now trying to rebuild her life. She channelled her experiences into her poetry and recently published her first book ‘Poyums’. The writing was fuelled by her emotional responses to the challenges she was facing in her private life.

She has begun taking on more public work and followers may have noticed a more feminist edge to her posts. She feels passionately about improving the justice system and wants to encourage other survivors to seek help.

But mainly, she just wants to start the next chapter.

“I’m very relieved that it’s finally over” she said.

“I’m ready to just put it all behind me and get on with the rest of my life.”

A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “We recognise the devastating impact domestic abuse can have on those affected.

“It is a priority for all prosecutors that we play a key role in delivering justice for victims and supporting them through the criminal justice process.”

The Scottish government said domestic violence was “abhorrent and utterly unacceptable”.

A spokesperson said: “We know how distressing delays can be and are working with justice partners on a range of initiatives to reduce the time cases take, allocating £42.2m for justice recovery in 23/24.”

You can watch Disclosure: Surviving Domestic Abuse on BBC One Scotland and BBC iPlayer on Monday 11 March. If you’ve been affected by the issues in this story you can find information and support here.