A domestic thug who nearly drowned his asthmatic wife after plunging her head under the icy waters of a Perthshire loch has been jailed for four years.
Paul Brown admitted holding Catriona Watson-Brown’s head underwater after menacingly beckoning her outside from their home.
Brown, 59, who had been drinking heavily, bellowed “do you want to live or die?”
Mrs Watson-Brown thought she was being murdered as she swallowed water and struggled to breathe in Loch Tummel.
After the lochside assault, remorseless Brown grabbed his distraught wife and bit her twice on the face.
The self-employed heating engineer had admitted endangering his wife’s life in the domestically-aggravated assault on April 18.
‘You put your wife in fear of her life’
Appearing at Perth Sheriff Court for sentencing, shameless Brown, of Strathtummel, near Pitlochry, had argued against the content of a social work report which suggested a pattern of coercive control.
Sentencing Brown to 48 months in prison – with another two on licence upon release – Sheriff William Wood said: “You drew her into the water by force.
“You plunged her so that she was completely covered by water, causing her to have a considerable amount of sustained fear for her life.
“You shouted at her ‘do you want to live or die? If you want to live with me you better behave yourself.’
“In my mind that is a clear indication of coercive control.
“It is clear you put your wife in fear of her life.
“You followed her back to the bedroom and you tried to kiss her and in a fit of pique you bit her.
“This would not indicate the actions of someone who wanted to resolve things.
“The assault on your wife could have lead to her drowning. She is asthmatic.
“I am satisfied the threshold for custody has been reached and is the only appropriate disposal.”
Mrs Watson-Brown had said a non-harassment order was not necessary.
‘Sad end’ to marriage
In mitigation, defence solicitor Scott Jones said: “He fully accepts he is completely culpable for what happened.
“He entered early pleas.
He has not attempted to diminish his actions.
“He has spent a significant amount of time in custody already.
“He had indulged in alcohol.
“It is a sad end to a marriage of 29 years.”
Jekyll and Hyde husband
The court heard the couple met while both were working for the BBC in the 1990s and moved from England to Highland Perthshire in 2011.
Fiscal depute Lora Apostolova told the court Mrs Watson-Brown described her “Jekyll and Hyde” husband as a “kind, loving and generous man” but “particularly malicious and nasty” when he loses his temper.
As his behaviour deteriorated in early 2022, they lived “almost separate lives”, the fiscal said.
The April 18 row began after Brown had questioned spending on their account in the morning.
When he got home that night, he spent time listening to heavy rock music in his car – which he did “when he feels riled about something” – before going inside.
Ms Aposalova said: “She turned around and, without saying anything, he beckoned her with one finger.
“Although she was nervous, she went with him.”
Perthshire lochside terror
Brown led his wife outside, down a path that leads to the lochside.
“He then took a tight hold of Mrs Watson-Brown’s arm and start walking purposefully into the water.
“He appeared calm.
“The accused turned his wife round and got hold of her with both arms.
“She tried to shake him off but he was strong.
“The next thing she knew, she was pushed backwards so she was effectively lying on her back in the water.
“The accused then pushed her head completely under, so she was immersed and could not breathe.
“Water was going into her mouth.
“She was petrified and believed she was going to die.”
‘Do you want to live or die?’
Ms Apostolova said the wife struggled but could not get away until he pulled her up.
Brown repeatedly shouted at his wife as he shook her: “Do you want to live or die?”
He pushed her backwards again and told her: “If you’re going to live with me, you better behave yourself.”
Back at the house, Brown told her: “You had this coming. You deserved this.”
When she said he nearly killed her, Brown replied: “If I wanted to kill you I would have.
“This was just a threat.”
Ms Apostolova said: “The accused sat down beside his wife and started talking to her.
“He then seized her by the shoulders, pulled her close and bit her on the right cheek twice in quick succession.”
Arrested
Mrs Watson-Brown surreptitiously called police before Brown made further threats with a knife.
Police arrived that night and Brown was arrested.
As well as the assault, Brown admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and a separate assault on a teenager.
Sheriff Wood also imposed a five-year non harassment order for Brown protecting a teenager he assaulted from him.
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