The ex-partner of a brutal domestic abuser who kicked her down a flight of stairs while she was pregnant has said she can now “look forward to not being scared” as he was jailed for more than two years.
Tyre fitter Lee Henderson, 28, carried out a catalogue of abuse against the woman that included frequent acts of violence and on one occasion threatened to drown her.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how Henderson assaulted, demeaned and verbally abused the woman over a six-month period.
Henderson also admitted two assaults upon children.
As he was locked up and made subject to a court order to stay away from her for five years, the woman cried and expressed her relief.
She said: “I have waited for three years for this court case to be heard, but justice has finally been done.
“What he did to me is not something that can be easily forgotten but my family can finally put this behind us and get on with our lives.”
Henderson’s victim added that she can “look forward to not being scared of life” and “start afresh”.
Henderson asked pregnant woman to lie following assault
Fiscal depute Dylan Midleton told the court that the couple had met in July 2020 and that the relationship had started well but soured a couple of months later when she became pregnant.
In December 2020, Henderson began variously shouting and swearing at the woman, calling her offensive and derogatory names, and accusing her of stealing things from him.
It was stated that Henderson had taken to drinking heavily during this time and would often become aggressive to the point where the woman was frightened of him.
During one such argument in January 2021, Henderson began shouting at her over the phone before telling her he was going to “burn this pram and put it out in the garden so the junkies can get it”.
This resulted in her having to rush home to ensure Henderson didn’t destroy the pram.
When she arrived she found him drunk and as she was removing the pram from the house she asked Henderson for his help getting it down the steps.
He followed behind the pregnant woman, who was two steps from the top of the stairs when Henderson kicked her to the back, causing her to fall around four or five steps to the bottom, where she landed on her stomach.
Henderson then walked down the steps toward her and spat in her face before grabbing her neck and pushing her over a wall.
In an effort to free herself from his grip, the woman punched Henderson to the face and shouted for a family member to call the police.
Henderson suddenly became apologetic as they made their way to the hospital.
He asked her to lie and tell medics that she had fallen and when they got to the hospital she did not disclose what had happened.
Following this incident, Henderson became increasingly verbally and physically abusive towards the woman, telling her things like she was “a waste of space” and the “worst mistake he had made”.
Brute laughed as woman cried out in pain
In March 2021, Henderson grabbed the pregnant woman and twisted her arm up her back and forced her into a wall.
As he held her there, he laughed as she cried from the pain.
On June 5, the woman was in the bath when Henderson came into the room and he was irrate, shouting that he would “pan her face in”.
Henderson then stated “I will just f****** drown you” which caused her to become “terrified” as she feared he would do it, Mr Middleton said.
She asked Henderson to let her get out of the bath before running to her bedroom and shouting out the window towards her neighbour’s house for help.
The woman’s mother was contacted and when she arrived, she accused Henderson of having broken into her the home and of attacking her pregnant daughter.
“No proof,” Henderson replied.
In the dock, Henderson admitted one charge of engaging in a course of behaviour that was abusive towards his former partner, that included assaulting her whilst she was pregnant.
He also admitted two assaults against children, including one incident where he restricted a child’s breathing.
Sheriff tells accused his victim was ‘vulnerable’
Defence solicitor Colin Neilson told the court that his client was “keen for me to relay to the court that he accepts responsibility for all these offences”.
“Mr Henderson described to me a tumultuous relationship with the complainer, but that he does accept his actions and that the responsibility lies fully with himself,” Mr Neilson said, adding that his client’s behaviour “strayed into the territory of physical assaults”.
“He has no previous convictions and is still a young man at 28 years old,” the solicitor added.
Sheriff Gareth Jones told Henderson that he had admitted a “serious set of offences involving the abuse of his then-partner”.
“It lasted six months and included you assaulting her when she was pregnant and vulnerable.
“Given this, I’m satisfied that the only appropriate sentence is a period of imprisonment.”
Sheriff Jones sentenced Henderson, of Provost Rust Drive, Aberdeen, to 26 months in prison.
He also put a non-harassment order in place, meaning Henderson cannot approach his former partner for five years.
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