Woman held captive and badly beaten

A brute begged his partner for forgiveness in a series of phone calls and letters from prison.

William Mcgillvray had been ordered by a sheriff not to contact Amanda Cassidy after breaking her nose but tried to persuade her to take him back.

He staked out her Coatbridge home when he was allowed out of jail.

Mcgillvray (48) admitted charges of assault and breaching bail when he appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court. He also admitted abducting Ms Cassidy and his sister Sharon Mcgillvray by holding them captive at his home in Dornoch Road, Holytown, on December 16.

Callum Forsyth, prosecuting, said Mcgillvray had invited Amanda (41) to his house for drinks. When she arrived Sharon (43) was there with her brother. It was clear to Amanda that her boyfriend had already been on the booze.

Mcgillvray locked the front and back doors and put the keys in his pocket. He then tried to speak to Amanda about problems in their year-long relationship.

Mr Forsyth told the court: “She wanted to leave due to the accused’s irate and agitated state but of course the doors were locked.

“Mcgillvray then punched her numerous times on the face, knocking her to the floor. Every time she tried to get up the accused would punch her, knocking her down again.

“He then dragged her into the hall and struck her head off a radiator there.

“Mcgillvray went upstairs after this and the two women opened the kitchen window in an effort to escape but he heard a commotion, saw what was happening and dragged Amanda back into the house.”

Eventually he let his sister out. She spoke to a passer-by and the police were summoned.

When they arrived they heard Amanda screaming and kicked in the front door but Mcgillvray had run off through the back door.

Amanda was taken to Wishaw General Hospital with bruising and swelling all over her face. A bone in her nose had to be realigned.

The fiscal said Mcgillvray was on remand at Barlinnie when he began to contact Amanda by letter and phone. He said: “The complainer made it clear she wanted no contact but he told her he was sorry, he loved her and he wanted her back. She was alarmed at these calls and letters from prison. They only increased her distress.”

Amanda was at home on January 20 when her daughter spotted Mcgillvray, who had been freed from prison, standing nearby and watching the house. The police were contacted.

Mcgillvray now has three convictions for assaulting Amanda during their relatively short relationship. In April he was handed a five-month prison stretch for hitting her.

Sheriff Marie Smart called for background reports and deferred sentence until next month. The accused remains in custody.