A serial abuser with an appalling history of domestic violence is facing more jail time for a five-year campaign of cruelty against his girlfriend.
Bruce Burry regularly slapped and punched his partner throughout their volatile relationship.
The ordeal began when he flew into into a rage and attacked her when she told him she wanted to visit her mother.
It was the first of a series of explosive outbursts that left his victim in frequent pain and covered in bruises.
On Friday at Perth Sheriff Court, Burry admitted repeatedly assaulting the woman to her injury at their homes in Dundee, between March 2007 and July 2011, and again from March 2014 to March 2015.
The attacks happened at their various houses including properties in Dee Place, Brewery Lane and Strathmartine Road.
Burry also pled guilty to possession of class C Etizolam tablets.
Sheriff William Wood deferred sentence for background reports.
He told Burry: “You have a record for serious domestic violence which has attracted significant custodial sentences in the past.
“It seems to me that you are the sort of individual who is crying out to be further supervised upon your release.”
Burry, who also has previous convictions involving dishonesty, drugs and weapons, was remanded in custody.
In 2019, Burry was jailed for threatening to gouge another girlfriend’s eye out with a fork as part of a murder-suicide bid.
‘Regularly violent’
Fiscal depute Gavin Burton said: “Between March 9 2007 and July 25, 2011, the accused was in a relationship with the complainer.
“On one occasion during this period, the complainer told the accused she was going to visit her mum.
“As she went to open the door, the accused seized her by the arm and pulled it away from the door and then he pushed her onto a bed.
“After that first incident, the accused was more regularly violent towards the complainer.
“The accused would frequently punch the complainer on the stomach, he would seize her by the hair, slap her on the back of the head or the side of her face.”
Mr Burton said: “On one occasion, after the couple had separated for a time, the accused was discussing his relationship with the complainer, with a view to resuming the relationship.
“The complainer told him she would not resume the relationship, which caused the accused to become unhappy.
“He stood up and kicked her on the body.
“As a result of all these assaults, the complainer suffered pain and bruising to her body and tailbone.”
Kicked on the ground
Mr Burton said: “On another occasion, the accused attended at the complainer’s home address at around 2.30am.
“He appeared to be under the influence of some substance.”
Soon after arriving, Burry fell asleep.
“The complainer went through his pockets and found some money,” said Mr Burton.
“When the accused woke later, he challenged her about going through his pockets.
“He then assaulted her by punching her on the breastplate, then threw her on the ground and repeatedly kneed her on the stomach, and kicked her on the body.
“The complainer was winded and suffered bruising from this assault.”
Mr Burton said in the early hours of July 16, this year, Burry was arrested by police in relation to another matter.
Officers found 199 tablets, with an estimated value of £50.
Burry, listed as a prisoner at HMP Perth, will be sentenced on October 5.
Murder-suicide bid
He was jailed for 28 months in March 28 for an earlier incident involving another girlfriend.
At one point he told his victim he was going to kill her, then himself, then pressed a fork against her face and said he was going to gouge her eye out so “no guy would look at her again”.
He then threatened to kill her and smeared his blood across her face so he could claim he had attacked her in self defence.
His assault only ended when police arrived, prompting him to flee to the roof, where he began a three-hour siege during which he hurled bricks at police cars below.
