A Fife domestic abuser pushed a woman’s birthday cake into her face and stood over her with an ornament threatening to “bash (her) brains in”.
James Homer left his victim “terrified” when he pinned her in a kitchen corner and yelled at her.
He turned up at her workplace – a school – and yelled at her until she burst into tears and other staff had to intervene.
Weeks after their relationship ended, he left her a voicemail stating: “I am going to hunt you down.”
The 69-year-old appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court to plead guilty to crimes spanning 16 years.
He assaulted his then-partner on various occasions at his home in Capledrae Court, Ballingry, between September 25 2005 and August 31 2021.
He admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards her between October 6 2010 and October 29 2021.
Sheriff Susan Duff described Homer’s offending as a “16-year catalogue of domestic abuse”.
Daily abuse
The court heard Homer and the woman were in a relationship from 1997 but in 2001 she noticed an obvious change in his behaviour towards her.
Prosecutor Rachel Wallace said said the incident with the birthday cake happened in 2005.
“He appeared at the door and shouted ‘where the f**k have you been’.
“(The woman) was holding her birthday cake and he took some of the cake and pushed the cake into her face.”
On an occasion in 2006 the woman was at a family function when Homer turned up and signalled for her to go home, telling her: “I have come to walk you up the road, now hurry up.”
She got a taxi home, where Homer grabbed her and tried to push her onto a bed.
Another time, Homer was shouting at the woman’s face saying “you are nothing but a squawk” because he said she was “nagging him.”
The fiscal depute said this type of scenario happened almost daily.
Ornament threat
In around 2010 the woman, then a cleaner, was working at a school when Homer turned up and began shouting and swearing at her, leaving her crying, before staff intervened and he left.
On another date in late 2014 or early 2015 Homer pushed her against a wall, went face to face with her, and yelled at her.
In August 2015, Homer had been arguing with the woman’s daughter, then grabbed his victim by the top and pinned her in a corner and shouted at her.
The daughter observed her mother “looking terrified” and she shouted for Homer to get off, the fiscal said.
The court heard of further instances of verbal abuse.
During one argument – started by Homer over ironing – the woman left the bedroom, slamming the door and causing an ornament to fall.
The fiscal continued: “He stood over her with the ornament held high and said ‘I am going to bash your brains in’.
“She told him to go ahead but was scared. He put the ornament down and went downstairs”.
‘I am going to hunt you down’
The court heard the woman ended the relationship in August 2021 and reported Homer to police on October 29 that year.
Ms Wallace said that on October 11 2021 the woman had received a voicemail from Homer saying: “I am going to hunt you down”.
Sheriff Susan Duff deferred sentencing until January 15 to obtain background reports and continued Homer’s bail meantime.
The sheriff warned he should not take that as an indication he will get a non-custodial sentence.
Defence lawyer Gino Gambale said he would reserve mitigation until sentencing and noted Homer has a limited record and declining health.
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