Freed to kill: Thug ticked off in Scotland moves to England
Aviolent abuser who went unpunished after attacking his Scots girlfriend moved to England before murdering his next partner.
Andrew Highton was put in the dock after grabbing Michelle Cunningham around the throat and smashing up her home in Grangemouth.
But, despite having a string of previous convictions that included one for domestic abuse against Michelle, Highton walked free from court with just an admonishment.
After the slap in the wrists from a sheriff, Highton moved to England and earlier this year murdered his next partner, Linda Treeby.
Last month he was jailed for life for murdering school caretaker Linda at a caravan park in Skegness where they were supposed to be celebrating her 64th birthday.
He repeatedly kicked her and smashed her face with a heavy glass ashtray, leaving her with 34 injuries.
Yesterday, mother- of- two Michelle, 44, said: “That could have been me.
“I always knew one day he would kill, but I thought schemes were in place to make sure other women were protected from known domestic abusers.
“I’m so sorry for Linda’s family. They must be utterly devastated. I truly believed that after he attacked me others would be warned so he couldn’t destroy more lives.”
Highton’s first domestic abuse conviction involving Michelle came in 2010, when he was found guilty of a breach of the peace for shouting and screaming at her, and then breaching bail conditions by attempting to contact her. He was sentenced to 18 months’ probation at Falkirk Sheriff Court.
In December 2011 he went berserk inside Michelle’s flat, smashing down two doors to try to get to her and grabbing her around the throat before she was rescued by police.
But, in court, he was admonished by Sheriff Craig Caldwell.
Nursing assistant Michelle spent almost five years living in terror of Highton, 51. She said: “Andy could be quite a charmer when he wanted to.
“It was like living with two very different people. One could be kind, generous and loving. The other had a raging temper. He would throw food at the walls, smash furniture and literally foam at the mouth with uncontrollable anger.
“I endured almost five years of his explosive moods, rages and controlling behaviour. I’d tried to get him out of my life several times, but he always managed to worm his way back in with pathetic begging and crocodile tears.
“But the day he smashed through two doors to try to get me, something inside me just snapped and I called the police. I truly believe if he’d managed to get to me, he would have killed me that day. “Luckily the police came just in time.” Michelle said she was never asked to give evidence, and was never told how the court had dealt with Highton.
S he sai d : “I was told h e’d le f t Grangemouth and wouldn’t be back. It was as if someone had lifted a huge burden from my shoulders. I was finally free. But I see now that my freedom from him came at a terrible price for another poor woman and her family. I’m devastated to hear the system failed to stop him and mark him down as a dangerous domestic abuser.
“Instead they left him able to kill another woman. Something needs to be done to ensure this never happens again.”
Last month Highton, from Nottingham, was jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 18 years for the murder of mum-of-three Linda.
His record revealed 17 convictions, for violence and arson. These included a