A man who tried to murder his former partner in a cowardly attack that left the victim suffering 29 different injuries was jailed for five years today.
Stuart Pollock went “crazy” and launched the sustained assault on Catherine Mackay after she told him she was going abroad on holiday.
A judge was told at the High Court in Edinburgh that Pollock had shown remorse and recognised that what he had done was wrong.
But Lord Bannatyne told Pollock: “This was, in my view, an unprovoked, vicious and cowardly attack on a defenceless victim whose only reason for being in your house was to help you.”
The judge said the assault had significant results for the victim who sustained 29 separate injuries, including fractured ribs. He added that in addition had a “significant psychological effect” on Ms Mackay.
Lord Bannatyne told Pollock (50): “There can be only one sentence and that is a custodial sentence.”
Pollock had denied attempting to murder his victim on March 20 last year at his home at Murray Terrace, Smithton, in Inverness, but was earlier found guilty of the offence.
During the murder bid he struck his former partner on the face, shouted and swore, repeatedly punched her on the head, pushed her to the floor, throttled her, kicked her on the head and body and grabbed her by the hair and dragged her along the floor.
In a call to emergency services the victim said Pollock had “absolutely leathered” her.
When police later spoke to Ms Mackay she was said to be “highly distressed”. She said: “He just went crazy….I said I was going to Tunisia and he just went mad.”
A paramedic said the murder bid victim’s eyes were “scarlet” following the attack and her scalp was badly bruised after she was dragged by the hair.
Pollock claimed during his earlier trial that he was “quite upset and embarrassed” over the injuries she suffered. He said: “I regret what I did. I wish that I did not do that.” He denied that he had strangled her.
Defence counsel Drew McKenzie said: “There is remorse. There is recognition of what he has done was wrong.”
He said that Pollock, a joiner, had attended Alcoholics Anonymous and had sought help from addiction counselling services in Inverness.
“He seems to be motivated to tackle underlying reasons for his drinking,” said the defence counsel.
Mr McKenzie added: “The accused obviously recognises that he is going to receive a reasonably significant custodial sentence.”
