A criminal mistakenly released from prison – then returned by police – has been jailed for carrying out a terrifying catalogue of abuse upon his former partner.
John Hendry appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted being in the midst of a cocaine-addled rage at his former partner.
He pulled a large knife from the kitchen drawer and uttered the chilling words: “You are going to die today”.
Hendry, 30, variously assaulted the frightened woman in front of her child before informing her one of them was going to die, and that she would have to choose.
Bizarre misunderstanding
The court was also told about a bizarre misunderstanding at HMP Grampian.
Hendry had been released from prison at the end of his sentence last October – but he had outstanding matters which meant that he should have been remanded.
However, nobody told the Scottish Prison Service about that and so they had no reason not to let him go.
Hendry was given a travel pass to Aberdeen.
However, when it became apparent that he should have been remanded in custody, a police car was sent to chase down the bus.
The court heard the bus made it all the way to Bridge of Don – some 30 miles – before police pulled it over to the side of the road.
They removed Hendry and took him back to prison.
Relationship deteriorated
Fiscal depute Andrew McMann told the court that Hendry and his then-partner had been in a long-term relationship, but it deteriorate.
Following a family funeral, at which a lot of alcohol had been consumed at an address in Cove, Hendry dragged her across the ground by her hair, before assaulting her.
He then began to cry and stated that he was “not a real man as a real man doesn’t do that to a woman”.
On July 1 2023, Hendry grabbed the woman by the throat after a man asked her for lighter.
Arriving home, Hendry then seized her by the hair and dragged her onto a staircase before going to fetch a large knife from the kitchen.
As the woman begged Hendry to stop, he continued the assault for half an hour.
On March 21 2024, Hendry had stayed up all night drinking alcohol and taking cocaine, which annoyed his partner the following morning as their child was present.
‘One of you must die’
During an argument, and without warning, Hendry struck out at the woman, hitting her repeatedly on the back of the head, which caused their child to become “hysterical”.
Hendry then placed his hand over the woman’s mouth, causing her to struggle to breath and believe he was trying to kill her.
He then went to the kitchen where he again retrieved a large kitchen knife before telling the woman: “You are going to die today.”
Looking at his partner and the child on the couch, Hendry told the woman, “One of you needs to go, one of you needs to die today”.
Hendry then gave her three options and told his partner to decide “which one”.
He then counted down from three before lunging at the woman with the knife – doing this several times without making contact.
The woman then fled with the child with the help of a good Samaritan who took her to police.
She had suffered injuries to her eyes, wrists and fingers.
‘He accepts what he did’
Hendry admitting being abusive to the woman, two counts of assaulting a police officer and a further count of cocaine possession.
Defence solicitor Alex Burn said: “He makes no attempt to minimise his offending and accepts full responsibility.
“He accepts the relationship between him and the complainer is at an end.”
Mr Burn claimed Hendry had told him he had suffered “psychological difficulties” by being told he was being released, only to find out he wasn’t.
Sheriff Ian Wallace told Hendry he had a “very serious record for violence” for which he has received “numerous prison sentences”.
“This is a horrific course of violence against your former partner,” he said, adding that it was “among the worst kind of domestic violence that we see in these courts.”
“It is fortunate that you did not kill your partner, you are a danger to her and all women.”
Sheriff Wallace said that it was his “duty” to protect the public from people like Hendry and jailed him for a total of four years and six months, with an additional two years where he will be on licence in the community.
He also put a non-harassment order in place, meaning Hendry cannot approach his former partner for 15 years.
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