A Fife brute who handed a £5 note to his partner to “get help” after savagely beating her to the point she thought she would die, has been jailed.
Christopher Maxwell, 29, inflicted severe injuries on the woman, including four broken ribs, fingertip bruising to her neck and two cuts to her head, which had to be glued.
Maxwell, of Meadowfield in Cowdenbeath, admitted kicking his partner on the body, repeatedly punching her on the head and body and placing both hands around her neck, compressing it, all to her severe injury.
He returned to the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court for sentencing this week.
Abuser handed non-harassment order and jailed
Defence lawyer Alexander Flett said Maxwell was “extremely remorseful” for the attack on his partner of eight years, with whom he had two children.
He said they are engaged and were due to get married this summer.
The lawyer said: “He is at a loss to explain what happened”.
Sentencing, Sheriff Susan Duff said: “You put your hands around her neck and compressed it to the point she thought she was going to die.
“This was a ferocious attack.
“In my view the only appropriate sentence is a custodial one.”
Sheriff Duff jailed Maxwell for 16 months, reduced from two years due to his early guilty plea.
A two-year non-harassment order was also made in relation to his ex-partner – apart from arranging contact with his children.
Assault lasted five-to-ten minutes
At an earlier hearing, the court heard the couple were out with friends in pubs before heading to Dunfermline’s Life nightclub at around 2:45am on February 5 this year.
Procurator fiscal depute Jamie Hilland said: “The accused started accusing her of cheating on him”.
Mr Hilland said the couple argued and took a taxi home to Rosyth.
The woman entered the house, ran upstairs to the bathroom and locked herself in.
Maxwell, a labourer, was described as entering the house shouting at her and continuing to accuse her of cheating.
He then unlocked the bathroom door and carried out the assault, which lasted between five and 10 minutes.
The fiscal depute continued: “He pinned her to the floor with both hands round her neck and compressed it to the point she thought she was going to die.
“He continued to kick her before realising (she was) bleeding heavily from the nose and head”.
Handed £5 note to ‘ get help’
Mr Hilland said the woman got up and Maxwell handed her a £5 note and “told her to get help”.
The woman ran to her mother’s house and she took her daughter to Victoria Hospital, where police were contacted.
The fiscal said while in hospital, the woman received a message from Maxwell indicating he intended to harm himself and apologising for his behaviour.
Police went to the property and found Maxwell asleep.
He was arrested and interviewed at Dunfermline police station and accepted responsibility for the assault.
At the last hearing, defence lawyer Mr Flett said the woman’s statement to police described their relationship prior to this incident as “good” and having its ups and downs but that they never before had a physical fight.
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