THE sister of a cancer-survivor and alleged domestic abuse victim told the woman to leave her husband after he'd used her work-related critical illness payment to pay off his £40,000 gambling debt, Greenock Sheriff Court has heard.

Giving evidence to a long-running trial which has been adjourned part-heard on a number of occasions, the witness told how she also anonymously sent accused Russell Laing a three-page document detailing the definition and traits of ‘Narcissism and Narcissist’.

Laing, 51, is charged with conducting a campaign of abuse against his wife – a Police Scotland detective who is seconded to Interpol in France – in Inverclyde and elsewhere between April 2019 and May 2020.

He also faces charges of behaving in a controlling or coercive manner between May 2015 and March 2019.

Prosecutors say Laing acted in an aggressive manner towards the woman on several occasions, accessed her private email without permission, demanded she justify her spending, and uttered derogatory comments to her.

He is also accused of repeatedly restricting access to the family pet, cancelling her medical insurance without notice and driving past a house where she was residing in an attempt to monitor her movements.

READ MORE: Abuse accused 'used wife's critical illness cash to clear debts' 

Laing returned to court for the latest instalment of the trial, which began in January, with the complainer’s sister giving evidence.

The court heard that the witness had ‘never really taken to Russell’, and that she advised the complainer to leave him on several occasions – including the day she learned about his use of the critical illness payment.

The witness was shown text messages from July 2018 in which the alleged victim indicated she was ‘seriously considering’ applying for an inspector role at the Hague, noting that she had ‘very limited options’.

She said: “She was looking for a way out of her marriage.”

Another text message from the complainer, sent to her sister in December 2018, read: “I’m just going to get through Christmas then leave.

“That way I should know what my options are. Scary but necessary.”

The witness added: “The prominent word being scary.”

READ MORE: Police officer's abuse accused husband accessed her bank account, trial hears

The court later heard that the witness had sent an anonymous letter to Laing in January 2020.

The envelope contained a ‘Police Scotland publication’ and a three-page document titled ‘Narcissism and Narcissist’.

The witness said: “It was myself who sent it.

“I wanted him to see in black and white exactly what he has been doing and that what he was doing was actually unlawful.

“It was domestic abuse.

“I wanted him to know that his behaviour has not gone unnoticed.”

The alleged victim's mother described to the court an argument which ensued between Laing and her daughter in March 2019, in which his tone was ‘really nasty’.

Fiscal depute Kavan Ryan-Hume asked: “Is it fair to say you weren’t aware of any difficulties in their marriage before January 2019?”

She said: “We knew something wasn’t right.

“I actually thought it was her health, because she’d had cancer.”

Sheriff James Varney has further adjourned the trial to November 30, when Laing is expected to give evidence.