A remorseless “bully” left his partner with a broken hand after twisting her fingers back during a campaign of domestic abuse that lasted nearly 15 years.
Offshore worker Brian Austin was narrowly spared a prison sentence for repeatedly attacking his then-wife between 2002 and 2016 at various addresses in Dundee.
Austin routinely blamed the woman for being attacked because she didn’t do as he told her.
“Your conduct is the conduct of a manipulative coward and bully who has shown no remorse,” Sheriff John Rafferty told him.
Punched in the stomach
Dundee Sheriff Court heard of multiple instances of violence the woman suffered at Austin’s hands.
In December 2002, she described sitting on a bed having an argument that was “not heated” before Austin punched her on the upper thigh “out of nowhere”.
She remembered this well because it was the first time Austin, now 40, had been violent with her.
Fiscal depute Ewan Chalmers described how Austin drove off from Tesco Kingsway in 2004 and left her to make the 20-minute walk home alone.
Mr Chalmers said: “Once inside the property, the accused continued to make snarky comments and the complainer said something back to the accused.
“The accused proceeded to punch the complainer with his right fist, full force into her stomach, completely winding her and causing her to drop to the floor and struggle to breathe.
“She burst into tears with the pain and the shock and didn’t say anything back.
“The accused then said getting hit was her fault and that she shouldn’t have answered him back.”
Broke her hand and told her ‘it’s not that bad’
The court heard of another chilling incident from September 2011 when the woman was cowered in the bedroom corner and frightened to come to bed because of Austin.
The brute grabbed her by the neck, struck her against the bed and grabbed her left pinky and ring finger together.
Austin bent them backwards in “one swift motion” with the woman hearing a “crack”.
She burst into tears because of the “agony” she was in.
However, Austin was unconcerned and told her “it’s not that bad” before getting back into bed.
Mr Chalmers added: “The accused told her it was her fault because she wouldn’t go to bed like he had told her.
“Her hand was swollen, painful and couldn’t move it.
“The next day, she attended at A&E and was found to have a spiral fracture of the metacarpal shaft.
“The accused didn’t show any remorse or say he was sorry. The accused just carried on as normal.”
The court heard how the woman still suffers issue with her hand, particularly during cold weather.
‘Toxic’ relationship
Austin, of Invergowrie, previously pled guilty to repeatedly attacking the woman to her severe injury.
He has a previous conviction for a domestic offence against the same woman.
Solicitor Callum McCormack said: “It was a difficult marriage, it was toxic.
“He does accept he went too far.
“It was a volatile relationship. They were together from when they were young and he didn’t know much about relationships.”
Sheriff Rafferty interjected: “Bending someone’s fingers so far that they crack causing a spiral fracture. He didn’t know that was wrong?”
Mr McCormack said Austin, who earns around £55,000 per year working offshore, had self-referred himself to counselling services, including relationship counselling.
The sheriff told Austin: “You have a previous conviction in respect of the same complainer.
“I struggle to find an alternative to custody but I take into account the age of these matters and the fact that you are working and you are assessed as a low risk of reoffending.”
Austin was placed on supervision for 10 months and ordered to perform 180 hours of unpaid work.
He must pay the woman £1,200 in compensation and was made subject to a 10-year non-harassment order.
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