Fife man jailed after years of domestic abuse

A Fife man, who subjected three partners to years of domestic abuse, has been jailed. 

During one incident, a woman was thrown from a car being driven erratically by her violent partner, Mark Cochrane. 

The woman was screaming to be allowed out of the vehicle being driven at high speeds and through a red traffic light. 

Cochrane swung his car to the right at speed and the woman was thrown out on to the road. 

Dunfermline Sheriff Court was told, “She was sick as she lay on the roadway, crying hysterically. He went over to her and told her to ‘shut the f*** up’, putting his hand over her mouth.”  

The victim was taken to the Victoria Hospital for treatment and Cochrane kept asking her what she was going to say happened. 

Cochrane (39),  a prisoner at Perth, appeared for sentencing having previously admitted a long catalogue of domestic abuse, starting in 2007 up to this year and involving three former partners. 

Cochrane’s offences included grabbing victims by the throats and repeatedly biting one of them. 

One woman said he “made her life hell” and told her “You’re mine. You’re my girlfriend if you like it or not”. 

He admitted that on various occasions between 1^st March 2007 and 1^st July 2009 at Main Road, East Wemyss and elsewhere, he shouted, swore, uttered threats of violence, made offensive remarks and threats of violence towards his then partner, threatened to harm himself, put a knife against his throat and a rope around his neck, cut up photographs belonging to her and committed a breach of the peace. 

On various occasions between 1^st March 2007 and 1^st July 2009 at the same address he assaulted the woman by throwing a knife, seizing her by the throat and repeatedly pushing her on the body, all to her injury. 

On various occasions between 1^st May and 25^th December 2010, at Copeland Crescent, Cowdenbeath and Adamson Crescent, Dunfermline, he shouted, swore, acted aggressively, struck a glass bottle against a bed post causing it to break and threw snowballs at the window of the home of a second woman. 

On an occasion between 1^st October and 31^st October 2010 at Adamson Crescent, he assaulted her by throwing a glass bottle at her which struck a wall, broke and caused broken glass to strike her. 

On various occasions between 1^st February and 31^st March this year at a guest house in Alexandria and an address in Rae Street, Cowdenbeath, he repeatedly shouted, swore, made threats of violence and abusive remarks towards a third woman, kicked a door causing damage to it, caused damage to household items, threw a mobile phone to the ground. 

On various occasions between 1^st February and 9^th September this year, at addresses in Cowdenbeath, Kelty, Alexandria and Edinburgh, he assaulted the woman, repeatedly pushed her on the body causing her to fall to the ground and strike her head against a wall, repeatedly pulled her by the body, repeatedly seized her by the throat and one occasion held her by the throat against a sofa, seized her, repeatedly pushed her on the head and body, repeatedly bit her, repeatedly pushed his head against her head, struck her on the head with his head, scratched her on the head, repeatedly seized and pulled her by the hair, all to her injury. 

On various occasions between 1^st April and 9^th September at addresses in Cowdenbeath, Kelty, Edinburgh, the Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, Lynebank Hospital, Dunfermline and various roads in Crossgates, he engaged in an abusive course of conduct towards the same woman.  

He repeatedly shouted, swore, made threats of violence and abusive remarks, sent threatening text messages and emails, persistently phoned her and sent an excessive number of test messages knowing they were not wanted, removed spectacles from her, repeatedly seized a car key to prevent her from driving, placed a large quantity of medication in his mouth, threatened to attend at her daughter’s school, threatened to attend at her place of work, repeatedly attended her house uninvited, attended at her hospital appointments without her agreement. 

Whilst she was driving a car, he pulled the steering wheel causing the vehicle to swerve across the road, cut up clothing and threw it in the garden, repeatedly made threatening phone calls, repeatedly made threatening gestures to her. 

Whilst driving a car with her as a passenger, he drove erratically, through a red light and at excessive speeds, refused to stop to allow her out, turned the car sharply causing her to fall out of the moving vehicle to her injury. 

Sheriff Charles MacNair jailed Cochrane for two and a half years.