An Aberdeen man who secretly recorded and violently assaulted his wife during a 27-month campaign of domestic abuse has been told to stay away from her for five years.
Lee Francis, who is originally from Elgin but now lives in Cove, severely injured his partner when he threw a glass at her, slashing open her arm.
On another occasion, at a house in Ellon, he placed a mobile phone on a wardrobe in an attempt to record her bedroom activities, Inverness Sheriff Court was told.
The 52-year-old previously admitted the offences, which occurred between September 1 2019 and January 1 2022. He also pleaded guilty to breaching his bail by contacting her after he had been charged.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank was told that they had been in a relationship for five years but then got married.
Fiscal depute Pauline Gair said: “The relationship had its ups and downs especially when they both had consumed alcohol.”
Glass smashed on wife’s arm
Mrs Gair said on one occasion while the couple were staying in Newburgh, he threw a glass at her, which severely injured her.
“It smashed on her arm as she put it up to protect herself and she needed hospital treatment in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary,” the fiscal said.
The court heard that there were two incidents when the pair were staying in Elgin’s Premier Inn, one of which resulted in him shouting, swearing and calling her offensive names. The second involved him struggling with her.
Mrs Gair also told of an incident in a house in Ellon where Francis covertly placed a mobile phone on voice record on a wardrobe, which his wife discovered.
“He said he wanted to know what she was doing when he was not there, suggesting infidelity,” Mrs Gair added.
‘They should not have got married’
Francis’s lawyer, Matthew O’Neill told the court that the partner had also installed monitoring equipment on his client’s phone, saying “the issues of mistrust were mutual”.
He added: “There were strains in the relationship before and they should not have got married. It was not sensible for it to continue.”
Francis, formerly of Hardhillock Avenue, Elgin, was ordered to carry out 225 hours of community service and was placed under two years of supervision. He must also take part in a rehabilitation programme for domestic abusers.
