A council education worker threatened to stab his partner in the eye as she breastfed their baby during a chilling campaign of abuse against women.
Nicholas Asante-Ampaduh “repeatedly” assaulted three partners between 1994 and 2017, but was yesterday spared a prison sentence at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
He punched his first victim in the head as she was breastfeeding and subjected the second to regular beatings – including lifting her by her throat and choking her for about 30 seconds.
The former soldier approached his most recent partner, Natasja Cuypers, with a knife and threatened to kill her as she breastfed their newborn last year.
The 45-year-old’s offences only came to light when her worried father contacted Grampian Women’s Aid from her homeland of Belgium.
Asante-Ampaduh, who has been suspended from his job in education services with Aberdeen City Council, met Catherine Archer when they were in the Army and moved to Dingwall in 1994.
Fiscal Jamie Dunbar said: “She fell pregnant and the accused struck her on the head and body on a number of occasions during pregnancy.
“After the birth of their daughter, he went into a rage while she was breastfeeding – as he thought he was going to be late for work – and struck her on the head.”
Soon afterwards, she left the relationship.
Asante-Ampaduh, of Gordon Mills Place in Aberdeen, met Maria Kelly in October 2002 while both were studying at Robert Gordon University.
She fell pregnant that December and moved in with him, but was soon subjected to vicious attacks.
Mr Dunbar added: “She never fought back as she wanted an ‘easier life’.
“She was constantly scared and intimidated. The accused controlled her whole life.”
The violence only stopped after she threatened to leave Asante-Ampaduh in 2004 and the relationship endured until 2011 – with three more children – though he “continued his controlling behaviour”.
Natasja Cuypers, from Belgium, met the accused online in 2009 and moved to Aberdeen to live with him in 2014.
She said his “mood changed” after she became pregnant and things got worse when the child arrived in July 2015.
Mr Dunbar added: “Following an argument in December 2015, he told her Belgium was a ‘house of evil’ and pushed her to the ground with his hand over her mouth so that she couldn’t breathe.
“Last April, while she was breastfeeding their son, the accused approached carrying a knife and said he was going to kill her.
“He said ‘I will stab you in the eye and keep stabbing’, then punched her twice to the head with force.”
Ms Cuypers was visited by Grampian Women’s Aid days later and decided to leave Asante-Ampaduh.
Sheriff Sukhwinder Gill said positive social work reports persuaded her not to jail the the father-of-six.
He was instead placed under supervision for two years, sentenced to 270 hours of community service and ordered to undertake a course for domestic abuse offenders.
Aberdeen City Council refused to comment on Asante-Ampaduh’s employment status.