A prolific abuser who tried to tried to strangle his partner while making threats to murder her has been jailed.
Chef Paul McCafferty, who admitted having a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality, throttled his girlfriend until she could not breathe.
Perth Sheriff Court heard how he attacked her at his home, despite a 10-year non-harassment order imposed to keep them apart.
The order was made in 2020 after he smashed a vase over the woman’s head, and then tried to silence her with a pillow when police came knocking.
Sheriff William Wood questioned the couple’s “clearly toxic” relationship and asked “what kind of hold” McCafferty had over his victim.
Throttled
Jailing McCafferty for 32 months, the sheriff told him: “You’ve been assaulting (your partner) one way or another since 2017.
“That’s really not acceptable.
“I don’t know what kind of a hold you have over her, or why she is so supportive of the relationship, but it is clearly toxic.
“It is clearly toxic for you because you end up here but it is clearly toxic for her because she ends up in hospital.”
He said: “On this occasion, she willingly goes with you back to your house and you abuse that by assaulting her.
“I dare say there were words spoken but that doesn’t really matter because at the end of the day you tried to strangle her.”
The court heard McCafferty’s partner wanted a non-harassment order imposed at Dundee Sheriff Court to be revoked.
“I sincerely hope that it is not her wish,” the sheriff said.
McCafferty will also be supervised for a year after his release from prison.
‘Watch what happens’
The court heard how the couple had met in Perth city centre on November 7 2023.
After having drinks, they went back to McCafferty’s home in Drumhar Court.
Behind closed doors, McCafferty started ranting about a man to whom his partner had been speaking at the pub.
Fiscal depute Emma Farmer said: “Without warning, he grabbed her by the throat with his hands and squeezed her throat hard, causing her to struggle for breath.
“During this, he repeatedly uttered threats to kill her.”
The court heard McCafferty released his grip after his victim begged him to stop.
She then went to the bathroom – after getting his permission – where she called a relative and asked her to phone police.
The court had heard how McCafferty previously threatened his girlfriend when he turned up outside her home in the city’s Letham area just after midnight on October 6 last year.
He repeatedly banged on the door, shouted and made threats such as “watch what happens,” Ms Farmer said.
McCafferty was heard calling his partner a “sket,” before smashing something and walking away.
Drinking issues
McCafferty told social workers preparing a sentencing report: “I never meant for these things to happen.
“Alcohol has been a blight on my life.”
Solicitor Linda Clark, defending, said: “He needs to learn that when he is out socialising, consuming any alcohol at all can lead to him making bad decisions and affect his behaviour.”
She previously produced a letter from her client’s partner, asking for the non-harassment order to be dropped.
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