Husband hurled 'hate-filled' abuse at wife and graffitied insults (2024)

A furious husband hurled "hate-filled" abuse at his terrified wife – and sprayed nasty insults about her on a wall and a mattress at their family home – after he suffered the "bitter pill" of her leaving him and starting a new relationship.

Fired-up and aggressive Scott Buchanan tried to break in through a window before grabbing an eight-inch kitchen knife from his car and using it to stab and burst the tyres of a car. He threw the knife through a slightly-open living room window during a "disgusting" and "far-reaching" series of incidents, Hull Crown Court heard.

Buchanan, 34, of Orchard Park estate, Hull, admitted stalking his ex-wife between June 1 and July 12, having a knife in public and two offences of causing criminal damage.

Samantha Laws, prosecuting, said that Buchanan had been married to his wife for 13 years and they had two children together, aged 10 and six, but the relationship ended on New Year's Eve last year. He became aware in January this year that she was in another relationship.

The relationship was short-lived and Buchanan and his wife rekindled their relationship to some degree, although he was often unpleasant towards her and hurled insults. It eventually ended again, however, in June. It was agreed that he would leave the family home but he did not.

Buchanan regularly hurled insults at his wife and told her that she should not be leaving him. Things came to a head on June 15 when she sent him a message to say that she would not be returning to the family home until he left. Buchanan sent a series of abusive, threatening messages, saying that he knew where she was and "See you soon."

The woman later received photographs from her daughter showing insults in black spray graffiti on a living room blind and a mattress as well as on a wall. "The defendant continued to telephone her and send her text messages," said Miss Laws.

At an arranged meeting in a pub in July, Buchanan threw an overnight bag at his wife's face and he was abusive to her. He was asked to leave by the landlady. He asked others in the pub whether they knew about his wife.

On July 11, Buchanan made phone calls to his wife at 5.30am while the other person in the new relationship was there but she did not answer and went back to bed. She was awoken shortly afterwards by a loud thud. Someone was outside the house.

"She ran downstairs and found that the defendant was pulling at a living room window in an attempt to open it from the outside," said Miss Laws. "It must have been slightly ajar for him to be able to do so.

"She shouted at him and he immediately walked away to his parked vehicle. She continued to watch the defendant. She could see that he went back to his vehicle and took out a kitchen knife with a blade of around eight inches."

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Buchanan used the knife to stab and puncture the tyres on a car belonging to the person that his wife had been seeing. The police were alerted by phone.

"He walked towards her and threw the knife through the still-ajar living room window," said Miss Laws. "The knife was subsequently seized."

The woman later said: "I am terrified of Scott and will do whatever I need to do to stop this behaviour."

Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that it was entirely unacceptable and disgusting behaviour by Buchanan. "Nothing justifies this level of behaviour," said Mr Shipley.

"That's something this defendant acknowledges and wholly accepts. He is sorry for his behaviour. He has struggled to accept the initial destruction to the relationship and has simply not let go.

"He has struggled to accept that the marriage is over. All of this offending has stemmed from the breakdown of the marriage. The defendant has not been able to control his emotions and the whole situation has clearly got the better of him.

"He is in a much better place now than he was at the time. He recognises the impact that this will have had on the complainant and he is extremely sorry.

"The consequences are far-reaching. It was a traumatic end to a marriage. He is a shadow of his former self and he has put all this behind him."

Buchanan was working for a kitchens company and he was living with his mother. He told the court that he had got rid of the abusive graffiti the next day.

Judge Mark Bury said that Buchanan's marriage ended and he found out shortly afterwards that his wife had started a new relationship. "I can imagine that you didn't take that well and not many people would take that well," said Judge Bury.

"Your reaction to that was simply unacceptable." Buchanan used "hate-filled words" that were designed to cause hurt. He sprayed messages on the wall of his own house and on a mattress. "It's just really, really hurtful," said Judge Bury.

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"I am prepared to work on the basis that you are ashamed of this behaviour. You simply can't take it out on her in this way." It was a "bitter pill" for Buchanan to swallow but, if she wanted to take up with another person, she was perfectly entitled to do so.

"This is very unpleasant," said Judge Bury. "I get the impression you are past it now and there won't be any more of it."

Buchanan was given a nine-month suspended prison sentence and 25 days' rehabilitation. He was ordered to pay £490 compensation for the damage caused.

Husband hurled 'hate-filled' abuse at wife and graffitied insults (2024)
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