A serial domestic abuser who assaulted four of his former partners and left a fifth “convinced that he would come back and kill her” has been jailed for 34 months.
Daniel Sharratt-Dye was described as a “master manipulator” and a “dormant volcano” whose anger would “erupt”.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard how he choked women, threw items at them and headbutted one.
He also called his exes names and told one of them: “You don’t know what will happen to you if you try and leave.”
Sharratt-Dye, 33, had previously admitted five charges of assault against former partners as well as engaging in courses of behaviour that were abusive of one woman and caused fear and alarm to another.
On that occasion, fiscal depute Robert Weir told the court the offences related to five women Sharratt-Dye had been in relationships with between 2008 and 2021.
Domestic abuser choked women
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank heard how three of his victims were choked by Sharratt-Dye, who placed his hands on their necks and applied pressure during altercations.
He also threw objects – including plates of food, a glass tumbler and an iPad – at some of his victims, leaving one with soft tissue damage that caused her to visit the hospital, claiming she had fallen down stairs.
In 2015 Sharratt-Dye and one of the women visited the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre for a performance.
When a text message arrived as they waited for the show to start, he stared at the woman before ripping a necklace he had previously given to her from around her neck, causing her to run from the arena.
On a trip to Edinburgh with another woman in 2014 or 2015, Sharratt-Dye “became aggressive” in a hotel room.
He seized his victim by the body and pushed her onto the bed, pinning her arms above her head and her legs with his knee before butting her to the head.
“The accused, then let her up and was apologetic,” Mr Weir told the court.
He called one woman names including “skinny s***” and “skinny freak” and “repeatedly threatened her with violence” telling her: “You don’t know what will happen to you if you try and leave.”
‘Just so scared of him’
“She was absolutely convinced that he would come back and kill her,” Mr Weir said, adding that she was: “Just so scared of him.”
One of the women was sponsored by Sharratt-Dye to move to the Highlands from overseas so that they could make a home together.
She instead found herself begrudged money for essentials while her partner was away working and called a “loser” and a “f***ing rat”.
On one occasion, Sharratt-Dye threw her out of their shared home and refused to let her back in.
On another, he attacked her after she received a phone call from a male friend that was believed to have been dialled in error and “repeatedly punched her to the head, face and body”.
The attack knocked her to the floor and was so severe that she dialled 999, but did not speak to an operator, who made repeated attempts to return the call.
The court heard that Sharatt-Dye, now of New Row, Bradford, had already been convicted of a separate domestic assault on one of the women at Dingwall Sheriff Court in 2010.
Solicitor Willie Young, for Sharratt-Dye, said: “It is clear from the report that he has shown to be genuinely regretful and remorseful for his offending.
“He has in no way to sort to minimise his actions.
“He demonstrated empathy when discussing matters
“He acknowledges that his actions will have caused the individuals concerned significant distress, not only at the time, but would have a lasting effect.”
He added that his client had sought counselling to deal with the underlying issues since the last offence and had not been in trouble since.
Sheriff notes impact of abuse
Handing down a sentence of 34 months Sheriff Cruickshank told Sharratt-Dye to remain seated as he recapped the charges in detail.
The sheriff said he had read victim impact statements from four of the five women concerned and told Sharratt-Dye: “The physical injuries pale into insignificance compared to the psychological impact”.
Sheriff Cruickshank noted that one of the women described Sharratt-Dye as a “master manipulator” and told him: “I’ve no doubt that the public face of Daniel Sharatt-Dye is very different from the private face.”
He said: “You were like a dormant volcano and they were never sure when they would do something that would lead to your anger erupting”
He jailed Sharratt-Dye for a total of 34 months and imposed a non-harassment order preventing him from approaching or contacting one of the women for seven years.