londonReuters —
A man who killed his domestically abused wife by jumping off a bridge was jailed on Friday for her murder following a landmark trial in Scotland.
Kimberly Milne, 28, died in July 2023 after falling from a bridge on a main road in Dundee and being hit by a car.
The High Court in Glasgow heard how her husband Lee Milne, 39, had been violent and controlling towards her in the months leading up to her death, including in the hours before he took his own life.
It is the first time a criminal has been held criminally responsible for the suicide of his partner in Scotland, according to the country’s public prosecutor’s office, and he was jailed for eight years after being found guilty of manslaughter in March.
“Lee Milne was physically and emotionally abusive to Kimberley Bruce (Milne) and our evidence showed that this abuse was a significant factor in her death,” said Laura Buchan of the Crown Prosecution Service.
“He deliberately and callously exploited Kimberly’s vulnerability, and he is responsible for her decision to take her own life.”
Closed-circuit television footage taken in Dundee that day showed Kimberley Milne cower as she screamed at her husband, as he drove away towards her, then hid behind a wall and slowly followed.
When she reached the viaduct, she climbed over the railing and jumped off.
Judge Lorna Drummond said the previous 18 months of abuse included physical violence including hitting, strangling and choking.
“The abuse wasn’t just physical,” Drummond said. “You belittled her by yelling, swearing, and calling her names, tried to separate her from her family, checked her cell phone, restricted her movements, and controlled her access to money and transportation.”
