Inverness man jailed for savage attack on partner after discovering intimate photo
A 25-year-old Inverness man who savagely attacked his partner and tried to throttle her last summer was jailed for 37 months to run alongside his current prison term for assaulting the same woman.
William MacFarlane, of Mackay Road, had been jailed last month at Inverness Sheriff Court for 40 months for beating up the same woman on February 11 this year and it was backdated to his remand date a few days later.
Sheriff David Harvie criticised MacFarlane for "kicking her head and body like a football" after he went to her home in Parkfield View, Inverness.
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He had denied assault to severe injury and danger of life but was convicted by a jury after a three-day trial.
MacFarlane re-appeared before Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald on this occasion and admitted a similar charge which occurred on June 20, 2023, some seven months before the second incident.
The court was previously told by fiscal depute Susan Love that an argument developed between the pair after he discovered an intimate photograph of her on her phone.
She tried to get him to leave and phoned her mother but MacFarlane refused to go.
The victim's mother also tried to get MacFarlane to leave the property but the call ended and her multiple efforts to contact her daughter failed.
Ms Love said that MacFarlane then grabbed his partner by the hair "and punched her multiple times to the head and body, dragging her to the ground”.
“He continued shouting and headbutted her to the head,” she said. "The next thing she remembers is the accused shouting at her to 'wake up'. She shouted for help but he continued to kick her to the stomach.
“She pleaded for him to stop but he continued. He then placed his hands around her neck, applied pressure and then placed his knee on her neck and applied pressure. She lost consciousness at this point."
Ms Love added that MacFarlane managed to rouse her only to continue punching her.
But the distraught woman again managed to video call her mother screaming for help. Her mother shouted at MacFarlane: "Stop you have done enough." He replied: "I don't give a f***" and the call ended.
The mother received another video call from her daughter who was struggling to stay awake and family members were sent to the property from where one removed the injured 20-year-old to the car park to await police.
Officers arrived and took her to hospital for treatment to her injuries but MacFarlane was not traced until later and was arrested.
Defence solicitor Marc Dickson told the court: "He has little recollection of matters as a consequence of intoxication. Alcohol and valium had become problematic for him at that time.
"He didn't ever envisage himself being in the position he now finds himself and is adamant he will never feature in a court again."
Sheriff Macdonald told MacFarlane his sentence would start immediately, adding: "This is a serious physical assault involving severe violence.
"I consider you to be a danger to women and on your release you will be under the supervision of the local authority for 12 months.
"If you breach it, you will be sent back to prison to complete your sentence."
She imposed a second 10-year long non-harassment order, similar to the one instructed by Sheriff Harvie.
