STV NewsA woman whose estranged husband tried to murder her after suffering from years of abuse and coercive control says it is now time for her to heal after he was jailed for at least 12 years.
David MacDonald was convicted of rape and attempted murder last month following years of physical abuse and coercive control directed at his estranged wife, Danielle.
The 41-year-old was handed a 16-year extended sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday.
He will spend at least 12 years behind bars before being released on licence, and can be returned to jail if he breaches his conditions. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
Following Wednesday’s sentencing, Danielle, who waived her right to anonymity, told STV News that she had been living “a life sentence already”, but that “justice has been served”.
‘Car crash-like injuries’
During the abuse, which spanned 15 years, MacDonald spat on his wife, isolated her from friends, took money and bank cards from her and struck her head against a lamp post.
He was also found guilty of offences against children, including forcing a boy to eat from a dog bowl and holding a knife to his throat.
STV NewsThe violence culminated on December 18, 2023, when MacDonald pulled Danielle onto a sofa, dropped a weight on her body and attempted to strangle her to death.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how a surgeon who treated Danielle after she was taken to A&E following the attempted murder described her injuries as seen in “high energy road traffic accidents”.
‘He was meant to protect and love me’
Outside the High Court in Edinburgh, Danielle expressed relief that she had “finally been believed”.
She previously told STV News that she felt the system failed her, after police and social services missed repeated chances to stop MacDonald much earlier.
“After all the years of being called a liar, my name smeared across the internet, all the lies, today the truth is out there. Justice has been served to him for what he did,” she said.
“If [authorities] had listened to me years ago, I wouldn’t be standing here today.”
Supported by her mum, Dianne Russell, Danielle said that by sharing her story, she wants people who are being abused to come forward.
“Somebody will believe you, don’t hide away, don’t feel ashamed, talk to somebody, because somebody will believe you.
STV News“I ignored [the signs], because I was so in love, I had that fairytale that I always wanted and happily ever after, and I thought it was forever.
“It already has [had a lasting effect on me]. I still have very little trust in anybody, even very close people to me. I still have a guard up, worrying, because that was my husband, the person who is meant to protect and love me through everything.”
Danielle is now looking to the future and hopes to return to work and have some “normality” in her life.
Her mum told STV News: “I’ve got my daughter back, now it’s time to mend the cracks.”
Danielle added: “It’s time to heal.”
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