Blackburn mum managed to escape after being ‘throttled’ by former lover

Feb 4 2010 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

A MOTHER-OF-TWO fled her Blackburn home after her former boyfriend throttled her and threatened to kill her.

The victim managed to break free from John Moffat and ran to a neighbour’s home to seek help after the attack.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that the distressed victim was very hoarse and her voice was strained when she got to the neighbour’s door.

She was taken to hospital and given steroids because of a swollen throat. She was found to have bruises on her neck and burst blood vessel marks in the whites of her eyes.

Moffat (24), described as a prisoner in Edinburgh, was originally charged with attempting to murder his former lover at her home in Elm Terrace, Blackburn, on September 26 last year.

But last week he pled guilty to a reduced charge of serious assault against his victim, committed after he had been freed on bail in June from Livingston Sheriff Court.

Advocate depute Lesley Shand QC said the victim suffered pain and great distress following the assault and was prescribed sleeping tablets.

She told the court: “She is concerned that the accused has not accepted that their relationship is over.”

The 24-year-old was formerly in a relationship with Moffat but it came to an end in 2008, said the prosecutor.

She had been for a night out in Bathgate before being given a lift back to her home on the day of the attack by the son of a friend.

When she got out of the car Moffat, who had been living with a relative in East Whitburn, came running towards her demanding to know who she was with. It was explained that it was a friend’s son and the victim kept asking Moffat to leave.

Moffat walked round the corner, but when the victim unlocked the door to her house he got in. She took a couple of steps towards the phone but was grabbed round the neck in a headlock and ended up on the floor, where he compressed her neck and restricted her breathing.

The advocate depute said Moffat was telling his victim: “I’m going to kill you. This is it. I’m going to murder you.”

She said the victim was begging her attacker to stop and managed to break free. She managed to open the door but Moffat slammed it on her finger and again began compressing her neck, before she got free again and fled.

A judge deferred sentence on Moffat in order to obtain reports on him. Lord Pentland told him: “This is obviously a very serious matter.”