A jealous boyfriend who threw his partner around “like a rag doll” and slammed her battered body through a glass coffee table has been jailed.
Erland Burnett, known as Borwick, left his girlfriend with permanent scars after the vicious attack at their home in Inverbervie, which was sparked after he discovered she had been communicating with an ex.
The 34-year-old – who later freely admitted to police that he “slammed her head off the floor” – lifted her off the ground and dropped her onto the table, which smashed on impact.
Fiscal depute Brian Young said the woman ran from the house with “bloodied hair” but Borwick followed and continued to assault her in full view of horrified witnesses, who had already called the police.
He said the attack happened on the evening of February 12 2021 and Borwick and his victim had argued for most of the day before going to socialise and drink alcohol with friends in David Street.
Threw victim through glass table
“The accused became agitated at an ex-boyfriend of his partner’s trying to make contact with her through text and through the witnesses,” Mr Young said.
“He stated to her something like ‘I knew you were f***** back with him’.
“He grabbed her by the neck and backside, picked her up and threw her onto the glass table which broke on impact,” Mr Young added.
“While she was on the floor he continued to punch and kick her.”
Borwick then repeatedly punched the woman in a manner witnesses later described as “throwing her around like a rag doll”.
Mr Young added: “She got up and ran upstairs to a bedroom and he followed and the assault continued as he continued to strike her.”
Borwick’s victim was seen to later run outside with “bloodied hair” before he followed her and was seen punching her again.
The couple the pair had been drinking with had already fled the house and called 999.
‘I slammed her head off the floor’
When police arrived he admitted, without prompting, there had been a “massive domestic”. When asked what he meant he replied: “I slammed her head off the floor.”
The woman later told officers she remembered being hit in the face, thrown through a table and being kicked, but had no further recollection of the incident.
She was left with a 3.5cm cut to the back of her head, which was stitched shut, a 1cm cut on her ear which was glued closed, a bruised eye and a swollen lip.
Borwick appeared from custody at HMP Grampian and admitted a charge of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement.
He also admitted breaching bail conditions by repeatedly calling and texting the woman to apologise and to say he loved her.
Defence claimed woman had been cheating while he was at sea
Defence agent Leonard Burkinshaw said his client had been in an on-off relationship with the woman for many years and was under the impression the relationship was solid and permanent having just spend a lot of his money to refurbish her house.
“On that night there was a number of messages being received by the complainer and a witness from the complainer’s ex-boyfriend,” the solicitor said.
“While Mr Burnettt has been at sea the complainer and this person had been back together and were making future plans. He is right when he stated to her: ‘I was too jealous’.
Mr Burkinshaw said that a lot of alcohol had been taken by all present and the fisherman is “deeply ashamed of his behaviour”.
His client is now in control of his drinking, is clear of a past drug habit and has a skipper who values his service at sea.
Borwick’s victim, meanwhile, is currently in HMP Grampian on remand for an assault which is why the Crown had been unable to canvas her views on a non-harassment order.
Deeming jail the only appropriate punishment, Sheriff Ian Wallace told Burnett: “It was an awful, prolonged domestic assault.
“You have previous convictions for domestic offending and assault and have served a custodial sentence for assault before. I have little confidence you would comply with any community-based order.”
Borwick, of Captain Gray Place, Peterhead, was jailed for 16 months.
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