Court / Sentence deferred on man who threatened to kill his partner

Content warning: This story contains details of domestic abuse. If you have been affected by this issue, help is available.

A HUSBAND who threatened to kill his partner at the end of a six month ordeal of abuse has had his sentence deferred for reports.

Andrew Sylvester, whose address was given as Somerset, admitted subjecting his partner to physical and verbal abuse between 1 June 2024 and 25 January 2025 in Shetland.

The 55-year-old hit her with a gas bottle, threw a lamp and photo frames at her, grabbed her by the neck and arms and repeatedly called her derogatory names during the drunken tirades.

The attacks were “often for no discernible reason”, the court was told.

Despite this, the court heard Sylvester’s partner was not pursuing a non-harassment order and wanted the relationship to continue.

However Sheriff Ian Cruickshank – after hearing the narration – said he would need to consider whether he needed to impose one for the safety of Sylvester’s partner.

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The court heard a lengthy narration from procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie on Wednesday, who said Sylvester’s drinking escalated after the sudden death of his brother.

Sylvester became “volatile”, and he told his partner “I am what I am, you’re not going to change me” after she challenged him on his drinking.

On one occasion Sylvester’s partner went to retrieve a gas BBQ from the shed when the power was out, but was pushed out of the way by Sylvester.

When she asked him what he was doing, Sylvester swung a gas bottle at her which struck her on the leg and bruised it.

The ensuing argument was heard by neighbours, with Sylvester’s partner heard to ask him to stay away and to stop drinking.

They heard Sylvester respond: “So you’re standing up to me now?”

On 5 November 2024 he became angry with her again and seized her neck for between 10 and 20 seconds, while making threats to her.

While he did not compress her neck, the incident left red marks which were seen by a neighbour.

On 24 January 2025 Sylvester returned home from work and found a small amount of handwash on the kitchen worktop, which sent him into a rage.

He shouted at his partner and, when she admitted it had been her, he told her she should “f***ing know better”.

Her and her daughter left the house to let Sylvester cool down, but when they returned home he demanded to know what was for dinner.

After dinner Sylvester – who had been drinking heavily – went upstairs to find his partner getting ready for a shower.

The court heard that she had only been upstairs for about 10 minutes, but Sylvester accused her of having been gone for 45 minutes.

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He began to verbally abuse her, at one point calling her “disgusting”.

He turned off a bedside lamp, and when his partner asked him to turn it back on, he picked it up and swung it at her.

However she was able to deflect it with her arm, and instead it hit Sylvester and bloodied his nose.

They went downstairs to clean the blood up, and when they did Sylvester threatened to push her down the stairs.

He also told her: “I wish I had a knife on me.”

Sylvester tried to take a bottle of whisky with him, which his partner took off him. But when she did, he grabbed hold of her neck until she let it go.

He slammed two kitchen cupboards so hard they fell off the hinges, and then threw photo frames at his partner which smashed.

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Sylvester then grabbed her again by the neck and “stated his intention to kill her”.

The woman told her child to phone the police, which made Sylvester let go, and once he had left the home the woman did call the police.

Sylvester’s defence agent William McKay said his client was “very remorseful” and “deeply ashamed”, admitting it was a “serious collection of events”.

He said Sylvester had been seriously impacted by the death of his brother, adding that “people react differently with grief”.

McKay reserved the rest of his mitigation until reports could be made available.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank deferred sentencing on Sylvester for the preparation of a criminal justice social work report.

He also continued consideration over whether a non-harassment order is necessary,

Sylvester will return for sentencing on 9 July.