Abuser who tried to strangle pregnant partner jailed

A man has been jailed for throttling a pregnant woman and terrorising two other women in a “horrendous” campaign of domestic abuse that spanned 12 years.

Kane McGuire, 38, was sentenced to three years and 11 months in prison yesterday for carrying out the life-threatening assault on Nicola Watson while she was pregnant with his child.

McGuire, originally from the north-east of England, had 23 previous convictions for attacks on, and rows with, his former partners.

He carried out the attack on Ms Watson at house in Leven, Fife, one day between April and May 2007. He grabbed her by the body and pushed her to the floor before grabbing her throat, compressing her neck and strangling her.

McGuire’s violence towards his partners started in January 2002, when he was in a relationship with Tracy Ann Taylor. Between then and December 2005 he assaulted her on numerous occasions, chasing after her as she tried to get away from him, pushing her and pulling her.

The attacks took place at a house in Guardbridge, near St Andrews, and a property in Tayport, Fife. At the Tayport address, sometime between April 2003 and December 2005, McGuire also attacked Taylor by punching her on the head.

Ms Taylor and McGuire separated and he began a relationship with Ms Watson. After separating from her, he began a relationship with Amanda Sim.

McGuire was facing trial on 17 charges but struck a deal with prosecutors that saw him plead guilty to seven charges in exchange for ten being dropped.

He admitted the assaults on Ms Taylor and Ms Watson and breaking his bail conditions by approaching Ms Sim.

The dropped charges included one that he wilfully assaulted and ill-treated an 11-year-old boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, by shutting him in a small cupboard in the dark, forcing him to remove his clothes, making him sit in a bath of cold water and forcing his head under the water.

McGuire pleaded guilty to the seven charges last month and sentence was deferred so he could be assessed by social workers.

When he returned to the High Court in Paisley for sentencing, defence advocate Lorraine Glancy said McGuire had been responsible for “a horrendous pattern of abuse... while he was under the influence of alcohol”.

She went on: “This was made worse by the fact there were children in the household and one of the complainers was pregnant to him at the time.”

The judge, Lady Scott, told McGuire: You bullied, belittled and threatened your female partners.”