A Fife joiner entered a primary school and rifled through his partner’s desk during more than six years of terrifying abuse.
Ewan McDowall has been jailed for 34 months after being found guilty of a campaign which saw him lock his victim in a flat, threaten her and her family and repeatedly beat her.
The 41-year-old repeatedly threatened the woman with violence and sent abusive and derogatory remarks by text message, on the phone and via email.
He also slashed furniture in a house on Bluebell Grove, Kelty, with a knife and threw household items.
The domestic abuse escalated and during December 2016, McDowall abducted the woman by locking her in a house.
He held her against her will before launching a savage assault where he punched and struck her on the head and body before brandishing a knife.
Between February 15 and 16 last year, he made repeated phone calls to the woman’s family members and left threatening messages.
McDowall went to the woman’s work at a primary school in Fife and searched through her desk before sending her threatening emails.
He was found guilty following a jury trial at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court but continues to deny his guilt.
Defence solicitor Chris Sneddon told the court his client had run a joinery company before his arrest.
Passing sentence, Sheriff Alistair Thornton said he found the level of abuse directed towards the woman as “gross and grotesque” and said prison was the only option.
McDowall, a prisoner at HMP Perth, was also made subject to a non-harassment order which bans him from contacting or approaching his victim for five years after his release.
Detective Inspector Hannah Morrison of Fife’s Domestic Abuse Unit in Fife said: “We welcome the sentencing of Ewan McDowall and are committed to tackling domestic abuse in all of its forms.
“The bravery of the victims throughout our investigations has been commendable, and it is through their courage that McDowall will now face the consequences of his actions.
“I hope today’s sentencing will bring them some form of closure.
“Police Scotland treats all reports of domestic abuse with the upmost seriousness and we will continue to work alongside our partners at the Crown Officer and Procurator Fiscal Service in order to bring offenders to justice.”
