A serial domestic abuser who strangled his partner with such force she thought her eyes were going to “pop out of her head” has avoided a prison sentence.
Daniel Imlach, 35, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted violent domestic abuse charges against his now ex-girlfriend over a two-month period last year.
Imlach – who has previous convictions for violence towards previous partners – blamed that fact he was drinking eight cans of lager a night for his behaviour.
A doctor who examined the woman following the most brutal attack deemed Imlach’s actions “hazardous” to the woman’s life.
The court was told that Imlach feels “ashamed” and “regretful” about his actions.
Woman was ‘unhappy’ in relationship
Fiscal depute David Ballock told the court that the couple had been in a relationship for around nine years.
In early 2023, Imlach’s ex-partner began to become unhappy in her relationship with him.
In May 2023, she returned home from work and Imlach started to quiz her about whether she really loved him and accused her of cheating on him.
She told him that she “did not need to justify herself to him” before going to her bedroom with Imlach following behind.
The woman attempted to close the door, but Imlach forced it open leaving a mark on the wall behind the door.
He approached his partner and pushed her onto the bed, grabbed her right leg and squeezed it with such force that he left a fingerprint bruise on her right thigh.
She told him to leave, which he did.
‘If you don’t hear from me call my mum’
On June 27, the woman returned home and found Imlach in bed, which angered her as she had left work early to pick up their daughter believing that Imlach was at work.
“In order to calm down, she sat outside in her car for about 20 minutes,” Mr Ballock said.
“She received a text message from the accused asking where she had ‘f***** off to?’
“The accused sent several more messages but they did not make sense, so the complainer phoned him and realised that he had been drinking alcohol.
“She sent a message to her friend saying, ‘if you don’t hear from me in the next hour, call my mum asap’.”
On re-entering her home, Imlach grabbed her by the neck, squeezing his fingers around her throat for a matter of seconds but she managed to push him backwards and broke his grip on her neck.
He once again grabbed her by the neck, forcing her backwards from the hallway into the bedroom where they both fell onto the bed.
During the fall, Imlach let go of her neck and she managed to kick out her legs, catching him on the cheek.
She stood up and Imlach once again grabbed her by the neck with two hands and threw her back onto the bed, calling her a “cheat”.
Police found woman crying ‘hysterically’
As she tried to call her mother, Imlach tried to grab her phone but his partner hit out her arm and caught him on the side of his face.
He then threw her phone, grabbed her by the neck and repeatedly punched her in the face.
The woman realised that she’d sent a voicemail to her mother’s phone where she could be heard crying and screaming and Imlach can be heard shouting and swearing aggressively.
The assault continued with Imlach wrapping his arm around her neck and using his free arm to lock the other arm in place.
The woman felt a twisting feeling as if Imlach was trying to twist her chin and neck which lasted around 40 seconds.
During this time, the woman felt as though her eyes were going to “pop out of her head” and her breathing was restricted.
Imlach called her a “cheat” and stated that he’d “wasted 10 years of his life”.
The woman then immediately left the property.
She called her mother who heard that she was very distressed.
Police officers arrived and found her crying hysterically and observed blood on her clothing.
Accused said ex had ‘fallen’
She had cuts and swelling to her forehead, her lips were burst and she had red marks around her neck.
Imlach was then taken into police custody and was also noted to have injuries to his face and arm.
The woman was examined by medics who found a large number of bruises and abrasions to her face, neck and shoulders.
The doctor stated that, in his opinion, the “strangulation” the victim suffered, however brief, would have been “hazardous to her life”.
When interviewed by police, Imlach said he followed his then-partner into the bedroom and that she assaulted him.
He also suggested that her injuries were caused by her “falling into the headboard within the bedroom”.
In the dock, Imlach pleaded guilty to one charge of carrying out a course of conduct that was abusive to his ex-partner and that he assaulted her to her injury and endangerment to her life.
‘Up to eight cans a night’
Defence solicitor Stuart Beveridge that his client recognised “this was a very serious matter” about which the court “would be considering a custodial sentence”.
“Mr Imlach had been drinking since the morning and has no recollection of what happened that day,” the solicitor said
“He is ashamed and entirely accepts what happened and takes full responsibility for his actions.
“There was alcohol misuse, and he was drinking up to eight cans of lager at night at that point.
“Mr Imlach is remorseful and regretful about what happened.”
Sheriff Andrew Miller told Imlach: “This is a very serious offence, particularly against your background of two convictions for offences committed against a previous partner or partners.”
As an alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff Miller made Imlach, of North Anderson Drive, Aberdeen, subject to a community payback order with supervision for two years and ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
He also ordered Imlach to take part in a domestic abuse programme and made a non-harassment order, meaning he cannot approach his former partner for five years.
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