An Inverness man who savagely attacked his partner and tried to throttle her has been jailed for 37 months and branded “a danger to women”.
It is the second time in the space of weeks that William MacFarlane has been jailed, after he was sentenced to 40 months behind bars on November 4 for kicking the same woman’s head “like a football”.
MacFarlane, 25, previously admitted a single charge of assault to injury and danger of life – which took place on June 20 2023 – at Inverness Sheriff Court and re-appeared before Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald yesterday for sentence.
Fiscal depute Susan Love told the court that it was around 8pm when the pair began to argue.
The woman called her mother and said she wanted MacFarlane to leave but he was refusing.
The mother told MacFarlane to leave or she would call the police.
Attack captured on videocall
“At this time her mother heard the accused shouting and the call then ended,” Ms Love said.
When the mum called back the call was answered and she heard her daughter shouting “Out!” before the call ended again.
The court heard that MacFarlane grabbed the woman by the hair and punched her on the head and body, knocking her to the ground, where he continued to shout at her before headbutting her.
“The next thing she remembers is the accused shouting at her to ‘wake up’. She shouted for help but he continued to kick her to the stomach,” Ms Love said.
“She shouted for help, but the accused continued to kick her to the stomach. She pleaded for the accused to stop but he continued on his assault.
“He has placed his hand around her neck and applied pressure and then placed his knee on her neck and applied pressure,” Ms Love said.
The court heard that it was at this point that the victim lost consciousness.
The woman woke to MacFarlane trying to rouse her, after which “he has continued to assault her by punching her”.
The woman managed to initiate a video call to her mother, who described seeing the accused “lunging toward her daughter and grabbing her by the hair” before the camera view was obstructed.
The mother heard her daughter “screaming for help” and shouted at the accused to stop telling him: “You have done enough.”
MacFarlane replied: “I don’t give a f***,” and the call ended soon after.
‘I consider you to be a danger to women’
She received one more call from her daughter who was in a “distressed state” and “appeared to be struggling to stay awake”.
Ms Love explained that the victim’s mother contacted police and family members to go to her daughter’s aid.
Defence solicitor Marc Dickson told the court: “He has little recollection of matters as a consequence of intoxication. Alcohol and valium had become problematic for him at that time.
“He didn’t ever envisage himself being in the position he now finds himself and is adamant he will never feature in a court again.”
Sheriff Macdonald told MacFarlane, of Mackay Road, his sentence would start immediately and run concurrently with his other.
She added: “This is a serious physical assault involving severe violence.
“I consider you to be a danger to women and on your release you will be under the supervision of the local authority for 12 months.
“If you breach it, you will be sent back to prison to complete your sentence.”
She also imposed a second 10-year-long non-harassment order, similar to the one instructed by Sheriff Harvie for his other attack.