DOMESTIC ABUSER JAILED FOR 15 MONTHS
A man from Elgin has been imprisoned after subjecting a young mother to weeks of intense and frightening domestic abuse.During this period, Blaine McKenzie threatened her with a broken bottle, claiming he would stab her in the neck, and attempted to throw her out of a window.
At a hearing prior to sentencing, Inverness Sheriff Court was told that the abusive behavior began shortly after they started seeing each other in May.
While originally from Elgin, McKenzie had taken up residence at the woman’s home in Inverness.
Last month, Sheriff Sara Matheson postponed the sentencing to review a background report, following McKenzie’s guilty plea to charges of domestic abuse and assault.
He also confessed to breaching bail on three separate occasions and of refusing to provide a breath sample when asked by police.
He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, retroactive to August 30.
The sheriff highlighted the severity of the abuse’s repetitive nature as the basis for the sentence.
The sheriff stated, "The events must have been terrifying for your partner." One incident in early July involved McKenzie traveling to Forres, during which he argued with the woman about his driving.
He stopped the vehicle and ordered her out, then threw his keys into a nearby field.
He demanded she help find the keys, threatening to jump off the Findhorn Bridge if she did not comply.
The woman managed to get a taxi to her mother’s house in Forres, after which police were called and he was detained.
On July 15, McKenzie punched the woman in the ribs, then apologized and tried to hug her.
She stopped him, saying he wouldn’t get away with it.
He responded by punching her again and locking her in her bedroom.
Later, on August 20, he re-entered her Inverness home by climbing through the kitchen window.
He then prevented her from leaving her room, smashed a bottle on the bed, threatened to stab her, punched her in the eye, hit her with a key, and attempted to lift her out of a window.
Despite sustaining cuts and bruises, she managed to escape and alert the police.
On August 28, McKenzie sent multiple text messages and drove from Elgin to confront her at her mother’s house in Forres.
Initially, he wanted to be driven there by a friend but later decided to drive himself.
His friend refused to let him do so, which led McKenzie to punching him and threatening him with a screwdriver.
He eventually picked up his own vehicle but was stopped by police en route.
When asked for a breath test, McKenzie refused, which raised suspicion of intoxication.
Prosecutor Eastwood added that even while in custody, McKenzie violated bail conditions by sending letters to his partner.
His lawyer, Iain Maltman, said his client had been receiving mental health treatment but that it was interrupted during lockdown.
He stated, "He is now improving." As well as his prison sentence, McKenzie received a 14-month driving ban.
