FORMER RAF ENGINEER CONVICTED OF NON-FATAL STRANGULATION
Mr MacGregor, residing on Railway Road in Newbury, denied deliberately strangling his wife on August 31 of the previous year.He claimed that it was his wife who had attacked him first.
The law regarding non-fatal strangulation was enacted in June 2022.
During the trial, it was revealed that the couple was in the process of divorcing after a decade of marriage.
On the night of the incident, a domestic dispute turned violent when Mr MacGregor, a former choir member at St Nicolas’ Church in Newbury, assaulted his wife.
In her testimony, Mrs MacGregor described her husband's eyes as turning black during the assault.
She recounted that after being strangled, she was lifted and thrown across a room into a door, causing her to hit her head.
Mrs MacGregor expressed her fear, saying, “I thought I was going to die.” She also relayed her husband’s words: “You see what happens when you mess with me – don’t mess with me.” She escaped the house and ran into the street, where strangers found her crying hysterically.
Witnesses testified that she told them about the strangulation and that they observed angry red marks around her neck.
When cross-examined by defence lawyer Patrick Wise-Walsh, Mrs MacGregor acknowledged sending a message to another woman stating she hated her husband “with a passion” and wished to ruin his life.
Taking the stand, Mr MacGregor denied assaulting his wife, insisting that she had attacked him first.
He claimed he had only raised his hands to defend himself and keep her away.
Under questioning from prosecutor Amandeep Purewal, Mr MacGregor admitted he was unsure how the redness around his wife’s neck occurred.
He stated, “I can’t swear my fingers didn’t go towards her throat; what I can say is I didn’t put my hands around her throat.
I didn’t strangle Janet.” Defence attorney Wise-Walsh argued that his client was “not some raging hulk,” citing character references from former colleagues, including one from the Royal Air Force and another from a military underwater defence project, who praised his contributions to national defence.
District Judge Dharmesh Patel expressed skepticism about Mrs MacGregor’s account, noting the lack of evidence for a vendetta to ruin Mr MacGregor’s reputation and recognising that some discord during divorce proceedings is common.
He highlighted that no credible alternative explanation was provided for the marks on Mrs MacGregor’s neck and that her version of events was consistent both to police and witnesses.
The judge concluded the case was proven.
He explained that sentencing guidelines recommend an 18-month starting point for imprisonment; given his sentencing powers in a magistrates’ court, they might be inadequate, and thus, the case was transferred to Reading Crown Court, with pre-sentence reports ordered on an ‘all options’ basis.
Meanwhile, Mr MacGregor was released on bail with conditions.
Following the trial, Mrs MacGregor praised Thames Valley Police for their handling of her case.
The former investment banking PA admitted that facing the court was intimidating but expressed satisfaction with her decision, stating, “At the end of the day I’m 100 per cent glad I did.” She added that the police had told her that participating in court proceedings could serve as an example to other women experiencing domestic violence.
Mrs MacGregor also commended Berkshire Women’s Aid, a charity for domestic violence victims, which she said provided invaluable support and was in regular contact with her during the process.
