A baseball bat-wielding domestic abuser from Fife told a woman he was going to have to kill her as he treated her “like an animal” for two years.
Tomasso Palumbo, 56, throttled his victim, punched her in the face , struck her with a phone and locked windows and doors to prevent her leaving a property.
At Dunfermline Sheriff Court, Palumbo appeared in the dock from custody and Sheriff Susan Duff jailed him for more than two years.
He previously pled guilty to engaging in a course of abusive behaviour against his ex- partner between March 1 2020 and August 22 2022 at addresses in Dunfermline, Inverkeithing, Edinburgh and Kirkliston.
‘Treated like an animal’
Palumbo, formerly of Maitland Hog Lane, Kirkliston, was aided by an Italian interpreter in court.
Prosecutor Sarah Wilkinson read out correspondence from the woman highlighting the impact on her.
“I was controlled and I can not put into words how I was treated.
“I now live in fear every day. This man treated me like an animal.
“I am receiving counselling and support from my GP.
“I live in fear, regardless of bail restrictions.”
Attack ended with dog bite
The fiscal depute told the court about the first attack by Palumbo at an address in Inverkeithing.
Ms Wilkinson said: “She woke with him standing at the end of the bed; standing with a baseball bat.
“He said ‘I am so sorry, I am going to have to kill you’.
“She was terrified and tried to escape.
“He pinned her to the floor in the hallway.”
The court heard that the woman began shouting for help to Palumbo’s male friends, who were in the house at the time.
Ms Wilkinson said a dog in the property, nervous about what was happening, ended up biting her on the shoulder and leg.
Palumbo stopped what he was doing to help bandage her injuries.
Choked over Facebook friend
On another occasion when the couple were sitting on the sofa he punched her to the right cheek and the fiscal depute said Palumbo would often slap and kick her.
He pushed her to the floor and struck her on the head with her phone.
The dog was triggered by events, ran out of its crate, and bit her several times under her arm, causing blood loss and the need for stitches.
The court heard the couple separated but he persuaded her to move back to an address in Kirkliston.
The fiscal said on one occasion the woman was being driven home from work and Palumbo followed the vehicle very closely.
In July 2022 Palumbo quizzed her about a male who added her on Facebook.
The fiscal said: “He grabbed her by the neck with both hands, strangling her.
“She recalls struggling for breath.”
Desperate plea for help in job centre
Ms Wilkinson said when the woman spoke to police she said she felt unable to leave the relationship as she was in fear for her life.
The fiscal said Palumbo would lock windows and doors in the property, preventing her from leaving.
She said the relationship ended when she went to a job centre with Palumbo and managed to tell staff she needed help “getting away”.
The court heard Palumbo has previous convictions for assault and robbery with a knife, road traffic offences and theft by housebreaking.
In 2021, he was cleared of drug-dealing after police searching for a dead body forced their way into a property in Bathgate and found bags of cannabis they connected to Palumbo.
Jailed
Defence counsel Sarah Loosemore said her client was at the time coping with a number of traumatic losses in his life, including the deaths of his father, younger brother and ex-wife.
Referring to a social work report, Ms Loosemore said partly as a response to the trauma, Palumbo relapsed into drug use after being sober for a decade.
The lawyer said Palumbo had acknowledged broadly he had been abusive and expressed a willingness to engage in treatment options.
She said this was his first domestic offence conviction.
Sheriff Susan Duff sentenced Palumbo to 26-and-a-half months in prison, backdated to June 12 this year.
He was also banned from contacting his victim for three years.
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