A Dundee dog killer attacked his partner, destroyed her property and made murder threats during a month-long campaign of terror.
Bradley Simpson removed a Ring doorbell from the woman’s home and tried to sell her phone to Cash Converters, before smashing her laptop into pieces and striking her with a games console.
The distraught woman eventually managed to escape from Simpson’s clutches and was helped by two strangers.
Simpson – who was convicted in 2022 of stabbing his mum’s German Shepherd to death with a screwdriver – is now behind bars after admitting the abuse at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Accused has learned ‘absolutely nothing’
The 26-year-old has a string of previous offences including domestic violence, underage sex crimes and assault to permanent disfigurement.
“The behaviour was nasty, selfish, violent, aggressive and manipulative,” Sheriff Alastair Carmichael told Simpson.
“That kind of behaviour is unacceptable.
“You appear to have learned absolutely nothing over the years.
“This behaviour will not be tolerated by the courts.”
The woman is the mother of one of Simpson’s three children and although they split in 2019, Simpson began visiting her flat in Dundee regularly in June 2023.
Things quickly became volatile as Simpson grabbed her phone, before pushing her to the body with both hands causing her to fall on the stairs.
Simpson left the flat with her phone, but left his own phone in the property. The woman used his phone to try and get hold of him.
However, a manager at Cash Converters on Whitehall Crescent phoned to say someone had tried to sell her phone and she left to collect it.
‘Why do you make me so angry?’
Prosecutor Lora Apostolova said Simpson returned to the flat and later smashed her Ring doorbell to pieces which he kicked up the street.
Simpson would continue his abuse a few days later, taking a laptop from her and and trying to manipulate her.
Ms Apostolova added: “He went upstairs and took the complainer’s laptop and left the property. The complainer followed him out into the street and kept telling him to give the laptop back.
“The complainer phoned the police on 101. She got through to an operator and the accused then told her he would give the laptop back if she hung up the phone, so she did.
“The accused held out the laptop to give it back to the complainer but before she could take it from him, he smashed it on the ground.”
Simpson repeatedly made abusive remarks before phoning her and saying: “Why did you make me do that? Why did you make me so angry?”
Helped by strangers
Between June 18 and 19 2023, Simpson was allowed to stay over after apologising early in the morning. However, he accused the woman of cheating.
She was again stopped from calling 999 and had her phone damaged before it was thrown in a bush.
He punched her a few days later on her lower back which left a bruise. He was verbally abusive and pushed her onto a bed face forward.
Ms Apostolova said Simpson kicked the woman in the chest before damaging the living room doorframe.
The woman sat at the bottom of the stairs crying before the brute poured a two-litre bottle of water over her head.
Matters further escalated on July 1 at Simpson’s home in St Andrews with the fiscal depute adding: “The accused picked up his PlayStation and put it over his head and threw it at her.
“The complainer hit it away with her hand and it fell on the floor.
“The complainer tried to calm the accused down and convince him to go to the shops in the hope he would open the front door.
“When the accused opened the door, the complainer started to run towards the police station in St Andrews. The accused chased her and was pleading with her not to go to the police.”
Two strangers walked the woman away from Simpson and into their address. After 40 minutes of waiting, the police did not arrive and the woman went to her mother’s house.
‘Very little insight’ into crimes
She told her mum what happened and police took a statement with the woman adding that Simpson had a key for her flat.
At 2am the next day, Simpson phoned the woman and said: “You’re a shady wee rat if you think you’re actual away to cheat on me. I will batter and murder whoever you are with you wee f****** mink.”
Her mother attended the property later that day and noticed the sofa had been ripped and had holes in it. A number of items were missing including £100 cash, an Alexa speaker, an air fryer and an Xbox One.
Simpson, formerly of Watson Avenue in St Andrews but now a prisoner at HMP Perth, admitted engaging in an abusive course of conduct between June 1 and July 2 2023 at addresses in Dundee and St Andrews.
Defence solicitor Mike Short said Simpson had “very little insight” into his offending but urged Sheriff Carmichael to look at a community-based sentence to properly address his domestic offending.
Simpson, however, was jailed for 24 months and made subject to a four-year non-harassment order.
For more local court content visit our dedicated page or join us on Facebook.
