A Peterhead man has been jailed for 20 months and ordered to stay away from his partner after admitting a campaign of domestic abuse.
Matthew Cox, 33, appeared via video link from HMP Grampian at Peterhead Sheriff Court and admitted abusing his girlfriend earlier this year.
Cox admitted abusing his partner over six months between January 1 and June 25, 2023.
Fiscal depute Ruaridh McAllister told the court that Cox had been in a relationship with the woman for two years and had moved back to Peterhead together after they met in Birmingham.
In March, the couple – who have two children together – had temporarily separated, but kept in contact.
Mr McAllister explained that Cox had gone to her home and an argument had broken out after she told him he “looked like s**t”.
The fiscal depute said: “He grabbed her by the neck and was compressing it and she pushed back. She asked him to move and told him ‘You’re scaring me’.”
Matthew Cox sent abusive WhatsApp messages
The court heard that the woman had taken photos of the marks on her neck saying: “Look what you have done to my neck”.
In response, Cox told her to “simmer down” and said he “hadn’t gone that far”.
A few months later, on June 19, Cox once again became abusive and was accusing the woman of having an affair.
He “seized hold of her by the hair” and pushed her against a wall then “repeatedly” punched her on the body.
The court heard that around this time Cox began sending her disturbing WhatsApp messages, including that he “really wished she would kill herself” and her suicide would “make the world a better place”.
In other messages, he called her a “bitch” and warned he would “f*** her up”.
Woman had bloodied nose
When police interviewed the woman, it was noted that she had a bloodied nose and eyebrow and also had a lump on her forehead.
Cox’s defence agent Sam Milligan said his client had moved back to Peterhead in order to re-establish contact with his children from a previous partner, but this had not been possible.
Mr Milligan said Cox had no recollection of events but accepted his partner’s version of what had happened and that he had “lost control”.
He explained the couple had since re-kindled their relationship and had been meeting regularly whilst Cox has been on remand, adding: “She does not support a non-harassment order.”
Sheriff Craig Findlater said due to the severity and nature of the offence he was “bound” to protect the woman – who was in the public gallery – and ordered Cox to have no further contact with her for four years with immediate effect.
He also sentenced Cox to 30 months in prison but discounted it to 20 months due to his pleading guilty and backdated it to July 5 when he was first remanded.
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