Inverness mother threatened with broken bottle during Elgin man's campaign of terror
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AN Inverness mother was subjected to weeks of domestic abuse by her new partner who threatened to stab her in the neck with a broken bottle and throw her out of a window.
Blaine McKenzie’s campaign of terror began shortly after he began seeing the woman in May last year. Although from Elgin, he began living with her in Kilmuir Road.
He appeared by video link from Inverness prison and admitted a charge of a course of domestic abuse, assaulting his partner to her injury, three breaches of bail by contacting her and refusing to provide a breath specimen to police.
The offences occurred between May and August last year.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard of one incident in early July when McKenzie was in a car with her driving to Forres. On the journey, an argument developed about the manner of his driving and he stopped the vehicle, ordering her to get out.
Fiscal depute Martina Eastwood said: “She started to walk towards Forres and he threw his keys into a field. He then wanted her to return to help him find them, threatening to throw himself off the nearby Findhorn Bridge if she did not.”
Mrs Eastwood said McKenzie’s partner managed to get a taxi to her mother’s where he turned up, banging on the door, shouting and swearing. Police were called and he was arrested.
The prosecutor then told Sheriff Sara Matheson of an assault on McKenzie’s partner on July 15, in her home, when McKenzie punched the woman on the ribs, apologised to her and attempted to cuddle her.
She stopped him saying he wouldn’t get away with it and he punched her again before locking her in her bedroom for a period of time, Mrs Eastwood added.
On August 20, the court heard that he turned up again at the Inverness property, climbing in the kitchen window, before preventing her from leaving her bedroom.
Mrs Eastwood said he smashed a bottle off the bed, threatened to stab her in the neck, punched her in the eye, struck her with a key and tried to pick her up and throw her out of a window. The victim, who sustained cuts and bruises, managed to get away and phone the police.
The day before McKenzie was arrested again to be remanded in custody was August 28 when he sent her a number of text messages before driving from Elgin to Inverness to confront her at her mother’s home, the court heard.
He had initially wanted a friend, Cameron Ross, to drive him there. But when he changed his mind and wanted to drive Mr Ross’s car, Mr Ross refused and was punched several times in the head and had a screwdriver pointed at him.
McKenzie then took his own car but police had been called and officers suspected him of having driven while drunk. But he refused to provide a breath specimen, Sheriff Matheson was told.
Mrs Eastwood ended her narrative of the facts by revealing that even while on remand in prison, McKenzie wrote letters to his partner in breach of a bail condition.
Sentence was deferred until February 7 for a background report and a restriction of liberty order assessment. McKenzie was disqualified from driving in the interim and again remanded.
Defence solicitor Robert Cruickshank reserved his comments until next month.
