A techno DJ throttled his girlfriend and swung a baseball bat at her during a 14-month campaign of domestic cruelty.
Controlling brute Steven Rose plagued his partner with phone calls, monitored her social media accounts and threatened to end their relationship if she went out with friends.
He quizzed her about her make-up when she came out to pick him up following a crash and threatened to sent photos of her in a state of undress to police.
The 44-year-old appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted engaging in an abusive course of behaviour against his now ex-partner at their home in Auchterarder, and elsewhere, between May 1, 2019 and July 31, 2020.
Car crash
Fiscal depute Lora Apostolova said the relationship began in July 2018.
“The complainer and the accused met through mutual friends,” she said.
“In May 2019, the complainer went to collect the accused following a car accident in Auchterardrer.
“When she arrived, he fixated on her wearing make-up.
“She explained that she had been at Crieff Hydro, and he wanted to know why and who she had met.
“Following this exchange, she cancelled her membership and never returned to the Crieff Hydro.”
Demanded she bring him lunch
The court heard that Rose threatened to end the relationship if his partner made arrangements to see friends.
“He would not allow her friends to come and see her, alleging they were not genuine friends,” the fiscal depute said.
The court heard the woman spent most of her time in her bedroom and cut down on seeing friends.
When she was with her mum, the complainer was bombarded by calls from Rose, asking where she was, who she was with and telling her he needed to come to his workplace with his lunch.
When she did go out with friends, Rose routinely called her, demanding to know who she was with, where she was going, what time she would be home and how much alcohol she had consumed, said Ms Apostolova.
“He would say to her that he would end their relationship if she spent too much time with friends,” the prosecutor said.
Panic attack
The court heard Ross ranted at the woman, called her a “slut” and a “junkie,” during a holiday to Doune in July 2019.
He hauled a mattress of their bed, kicked a wall and smashed his sunglasses.
On another occasion, Rose went on an “area search” of Auchterarder, looking for his partner, after she went out with a friend.
When the woman went on a weekend to Clydebank with pals in 2020, she woke in her hotel room to see 10 missed calls and several messages from her boyfriend.
Ms Apostolova said: “Because of his behaviour, she cut the trip short.
“On the journey back, she felt like she was having a panic attack as she was concerned about how he would behave when she returned.”
The court also heard that he took photos and videos of his partner in various states of undress, and threatened to show them to police.
Assaulted
The relationship ended when Rose physically assaulted his partner on July 18, 2020.
Following a row, the woman was lying on bed in the fetal position, under the duvet.
Ms Apostolova said: “The accused took the duvet off and grabbed her by the neck with his right hand.
“The complainer felt dizzy from the pressure applied to her neck and she was struggling to breathe.”
She said: “The accused lifted a wooden baseball bat and swung it above her head.
“The complainer pleaded with him to stop.”
A witness heard cries and screams coming from the bedroom. She could see Rose through a bedroom window “waving a large object about and making threats”.
His girlfriend was heard shouting: “You are going to kill me.”
The fiscal depute said: “The complainer attempted to get her mobile phone, but the accused went after her. He began struggling with her and snatched the mobile from her.”
When a witness ran into the room, Ross had his partner by the throat again and was pinning her to the bed.
Rose tried to joke with the witness, saying the woman was “just p****ed”.
At 2.30am, the woman fled her boyfriend and went to her mother’s.
She told her: “Mum, he has tried to kill me.”
Sheriff David Hall told Rose: “Given the serious nature of the charges, I must defer sentence for reports.”
Rose, of Forth Avenue, Paisley, was released on bail.
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