A violent domestic abuser tried to hack his way through a bathroom door with a kitchen knife as his terrified girlfriend cowered inside.
Wayne Clark’s disturbing behaviour – reminiscent of a scene from Stephen King’s The Shining – came after several violent arguments with his partner, who he feared was being unfaithful.
The 54-year-old punched her in the face, threw plates and glass tumblers at her and on one occasion was overheard by a police handler shouting that he would kill the woman.
Fiscal depute Tom Proctor told the court that between March 24 and May 15 this year Clark carried out a series of violent attacks upon his former partner at an address in Bridge of Don, Aberdeen.
He stated that Clark challenged the woman after becoming suspicious she was having an affair with another man.
Mr Proctor said that during the afternoon of March 24 Clark began shouting at the woman after seeing her on her mobile phone earlier in the day.
“He threw two dinner plates and a glass tumbler at her”, he said. “At that point, he then punched the complainer to the face.”
On May 15, the fiscal depute told the court that Clark saw a message appear on his partner’s phone and demanded to know who it was from.
“He began shouting and, as she ran to the bathroom, he punched her to the face, causing her nose to bleed.
“She then locked herself in the bathroom. The accused took possession of a large kitchen knife and stabbed a large hole in the door, which caused damage to the bathroom door.”
During a call to police, a Police Scotland call handler reported hearing Clark state that he was going to “kill” the woman.
Accused admitted eight charges
When officers attended at the address they saw the damage to the bathroom door and assumed it had been done with a hammer.
However, Clark told them: “I never had a hammer, it was the orange handled knife. It’s in the back room.”
Clark, who appeared at court in a wheelchair, pleaded guilty to eight charges, including three counts of assault and two counts of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
He also admitted breaching a bail condition not to be in the woman’s home on three occasions.
Defence agent John Macleod told the court that Clark had pleaded guilty “at the outset” and called for background reports to be carried out on his client.
Sheriff Lesley Johnston warned Clark not to breach his bail conditions or he “may be brought back to court and put on remand”.
She deferred sentence on Clark, of Powis Place, Aberdeen, in order for a supplementary criminal justice social work report and an updated restriction of liberty order assessment to be carried out.
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