A Perthshire father-of-12 who attacked his wife failed to turn up for court on Wednesday after falling over and losing his car keys in the snow.
Stephen Petrie had been due to be sentenced for the domestic assault, which he blamed on the pressure of being left at home all day with a dozen children.
Solicitor Kevin Lancaster told Perth Sheriff Court: “I received a call from Mr Petrie this morning to advise that he had fallen in the snow and lost his car keys in the snow as well, so he’s not here this morning.”
The court heard how Petrie said a combination of financial pressure and childcare responsibility was to blame for him assaulting his wife of 17 years.
Solicitor said family pressures were to blame
Mr Lancaster, defending, previously told the court: “This is perhaps an unusual situation, given the length of the relationship and no difficulties of this kind before.
“There had been family difficulties for some time. The situation became more acute with the financial pressures.
“She was working long hours and that left him in sole charge of the home and he had all the children with him. He has never laid hands on his wife before.”
Mr Lancaster told the court Petrie agreed to leave the family home before the incident but was turned down for housing.
“Given he was the joint owner of the family home, he wasn’t given any housing. He returned and that is when this occurred.
“He thinks it was a combination of depression and anxiety. They have remained apart since this.”
Petrie, 55 of Burrelton, near Perth, admitted assaulting his estranged wife by seizing her by the body and slapping her on the head in the Perthshire village on January 14 last year.
Petrie claimed ‘miscarriage of justice’
Fiscal depute Tina Dickie told the court the couple had been together for five years, before getting married and had a total of 12 children.
She said: “On January 12 the accused left the house. He told his wife he was going to stay in Blairgowrie and that they would be separating.”
Two days later he returned and when Mrs Petrie came downstairs to speak to him he launched a barrage of verbal abuse.
“He immediately started shouting at her and was telling her that he was entitled to live in the family home.
“She described the accused as angry and mad and said there was no reasoning with him. A commotion happened and he seized hold of her.
“She landed on the floor and then he slapped her. She tried to calm him down and he eventually sat down on the sofa.”
When he was later arrested and interviewed by police officers, Petrie told them: “This is a miscarriage of justice.”
Sheriff Neil Bowie deferred sentence for the preparation of social work reports and for the accused to appear personally for sentence.
