Man allegedly assaulted lover with trousers

Oct 1 2010 by Denis Brown, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

A PERTH man on trial at the Sheriff Court denied violently attacking a woman in a Crieff bedsit.

Alexander Mills (44), c/o an address in the Fair City’s Atholl Street, pled not guilty to assaulting his then girlfriend Leanne Hamilton (29) at an East High Street flat between the dates of September 2 and 3.

Charges allege Mills struck Ms Hamilton about the head and body with his hand and a pair of trousers, repeatedly kicked her, seized her by the throat and covered her mouth with a duvet cover.

He also allegedly locked the flat door and removed the key to prevent her leaving.

During the trial, depute fiscal Robbie Brown asked the complainer’s unemployed mother Ann Hamilton (49), about the alleged incident.

At the time she had been staying with her daughter and Mills, and mutual friend John Gordon (40) who was visiting from Perth, at the Crieff bedsit.

Mills was at work when she started drinking vodka with her daughter and Mr Gordon at 11am, before leaving the pair at home that afternoon when she went to a pub.

“I’d been drinking all day. I drink most days. I know exactly what’s going on, even if I’m drinking,” she said.

Asked by Mr Brown what started the incident off, she said Mills was unhappy after returning from work to discover her daughter and Mr Gordon home alone.

Asked for his recollections by defence solicitor Paul Ralph, Mr Gordon said: “Lots of drink had been consumed and I’d been smoking cannabis, and words were said.

“Initially he (Mills) was not very happy that me and Leanne were alone.”

Mrs Hamilton said after coming home to discover a bad atmosphere, she went back to the pub at 9.30pm, returning after 11pm to find Mr Gordon gone and her daughter and Mills – who was also drinking – arguing.

She said the argument escalated, with Mills shouting and slapping her daughter, then locking the door to prevent her leaving, and taking both women’s phones so they could not call police.

Under cross-examination, Mrs Hamilton said: “I was trying to keep control of the situation, telling Alex to make up with her.”

She said her daughter called the police after Mills fell asleep, taking the flat key from his pocket to let officers in between 3am and 4am, the court heard.

But she was unsure what time her daughter had managed to calm Mills down or when he had fallen asleep. The trial was adjourned to November 22.