Woman run over by abusive husband says sentence 'no justice' for domestic abuse victims

A woman who was almost killed by her estranged husband has said his jail sentence has failed to deliver justice to her and other victims of domestic abuse.

William Budge was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison by Judge Lord Lake after admitting to the attempted murder of Sandra Budge in Edinburgh in April 2024.

The court heard how the 62-year-old had previously subjected his wife to multiple assaults and abusive behaviour over several years.

On the day of the attempted murder, Budge had appeared at his wife’s home and tried to force her into his car before driving directly at her, striking her, knocking her to the ground and driving over her.

He drove away but returned to where she lay on the ground and drove the car over her again, causing her to suffer damage to her lungs and liver, internal bleeding, and rib and ankle fractures.

Budge admitted previous assaults in court spanning between April 2016 and April last year, including putting his hands around her throat, shouting and swearing at her, calling her names, prodding her on the head with his fingers, pushing her onto a bed and subjecting her to excessive text messages and calls.

William Budge drove his vehicle straight at his spouse and collided with her, and then returned to drive over the victim again. Police Scotland

The judge told Budge that he had shown “complete indifference” to whether his actions had killed his wife.

Speaking after sentencing, Sandra said the punishment would not encourage other women to come forward with cases of domestic abuse.

She added: “As a society, we have repeatedly heard that violence against women will not be tolerated, yet this low sentence flies in the face of that sentiment.

“The outcome today also does not inspire trust or confidence in the justice system, especially to those who have experienced domestic violence or are still trapped in dangerous domestic circumstances.”

Sandra was supported by her family following the verdict, which came after “ten months of hell”.

The family added: “Scotland is in an epidemic with violence against women, and the family was hopeful today that the punishment would reflect the crime – unfortunately, we have a contradicting message being sent by the Judge, which was even more discouraging by the fact he was fully aware of the historical domestic abuse throughout the marriage.

“We feel the accused only pleaded guilty due to the overwhelming evidence and for his own benefit to receive a lesser sentence – not through any sense of remorse.

“We have all been through ten months of hell and the only person who has really benefited from all of this has been the guilty man who saw multiple discounts applied to his sentence.

“We really hoped today would deliver justice and contribute to our journey as we seek closure – but this has not happened.”