A domestic abuser told his partner the only way to escape him was to jump from an upstairs window.
Radoslaw Malek tracked the woman’s mobile phone and checked her online banking as part of a course of coercive and controlling abusive behaviour.
He also assaulted his partner, slamming her head off a wall, choking her and kicking her on the soles of her feet.
Malek, 41, appeared from custody at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit engaging in a course of behaviour that was abusive of his then partner as well as two charges of assault against the woman.
Fiscal depute Robert Weir told the court that Malek and the woman were in a relationship for two years from June 2020 but around a year later “the accused began exhibiting coercive and controlling behaviour toward her”.
“He would track her whereabouts through her mobile phone, questioning why she was in particular locations or out for longer than he would expect her to be,” he said.
“The accused deleted the witness’ social media apps from her mobile phone and forbade her contact with her ex-partner and father of her children.
“The accused would also phone and message the witness repeatedly throughout each day and would become irate if she did not answer or respond.”
Abuser’s ‘far superior’ claim
On one occasion he told her “she had the intelligence of a donkey and was worthless” adding that “he was far superior to her”.
He called the woman “horrible, ugly and smelly” and said he hated her. He told her: “You won’t find anyone like me” and threatened to kill himself if she left him.
On August 7 2021, at an address in Forres, he became physically violent toward the woman “approaching her in an intimidating manner, whereby he stood in front of her using his chest to push her backwards”.
The court heard that the violence “escalated” from there.
On July 1 of last year, Malek challenged the woman because she had “liked” a picture of a friend’s boyfriend on Facebook.
After throwing a basketball at her back he followed her into a bedroom and called her “disrespectful” and “a liar”, accusing her of being in love with the other man.
Malek then put one hand over the woman’s mouth and the other around her throat, squeezing it and throwing her onto a bed.
Mr Weir said this left the woman, who did not lose consciousness, “struggling to breathe”.
Kick so hard she thought something had been broken
“She felt the accused was going to kill her,” he said.
Following the attack, which was interrupted by another member of the household, police were called and found the woman in the garden “in a state of distress” with “reddening on her neck”.
Malek was traced within the property and arrested but told police: “I pushed her on the bed, it wasn’t assault.”
On November 11 of last year, the pair met up and went back to Malek’s home in Woodgrove Gardens, Inverness.
The following morning, as the woman prepared to leave, Malek became agitated and accused her of lying to him, stating that he had looked at her messages while she was sleeping.
When the woman tried to exit the room he closed the door and grabbed her bag from her, throwing it across the room, before slamming her head off a wall twice and then pushing her so that she fell and struck her head a third time.
Mr Weir said: “He pushed her into the bed again with her upper body on the bed, and her feet still touching the floor, then stood on top of her.”
The woman tried repeatedly to get up but was prevented on multiple occasions by Malek.
“As she was shouting at him to please let her go. He threatened that the only way she could get out was by jumping out the upstairs window,” the fiscal depute told Sheriff Ian Cruickshank.
After this, the woman ended up on her hands and knees and Malek began to kick her legs and the soles of her feet.
When she tried to reach her mobile phone he took the SIM card out and threw it across the room before delivering a kick so hard she thought something had been broken.
Attacker ‘laughed hysterically’ as woman fled
As the attack ended the woman ran barefoot from the house despite the fact that she “found it hard to walk” with Malek “laughing hysterically” at her as she went.
The Crown acknowledged that Malek has a diagnosis of schizophrenia with “a history of violent behaviour stemming from his mental health condition” but told the court that a psychiatric report had deemed him “fit to appear” at court.
Solicitor Marc Dickson, for Malek, highlighted that his client had a “limited” record of offending and said: “He appreciates, given the nature of what is before the court, it is almost inevitable that Your Lordship will be considering a custodial sentence.”
Sheriff Cruickshank said: “There seems to be a realisation on your part that a custodial sentence is the likely outcome,” but told Malek he still needed presentencing reports to help establish the “risk of harm to others moving forward”.
Mr Dickson reserved any comments in mitigation for the sentencing hearing, which will take place next month and Malek was remanded meantime.