A man who was convicted of killing his abused wife after she jumped from a motorway bridge has been jailed for eight years.
Kimberly Milne died aged 28 after being struck by multiple vehicles on the A90 in Dundee in July 2023.
Lee Milne, 40, was found guilty by a jury of culpable homicide and a separate charge of domestic abuse at several properties in the city.
The case was the first prosecution of its kind in Scotland, in that Milne was responsible even though his wife jumped to her death. Police said Kimberly was “clearly terrified” of Milne, and that her death was the result of her taking “a course of action to get away from him”.
Prosecutors said Kimberly had suffered significant violence at the hands of Milne in the 18 months prior to her death.
This included choking, grabbing her by the hair, striking her, shouting and swearing.
Milne will be supervised in the community for a further three years following his release.
Following the trial, the court was told Milne had been placed on the sex offenders’ register after being convicted of sexually assaulting two young boys in 2024.
‘Point of despair’
Judge Lady Drummond told Milne: “Following your actions, Kimberly Milne reached a point of despair such that she climbed over the barrier of a road bridge and fell to her death.”
The judge said she had read victim impact statements from Kimberly’s family.
Lady Drummond said: “They described her as a “one-in-a-million” and a much-loved daughter, sister and aunt and are devastated by her death.
“Nothing I can say or do today will bring her back and ease their grief.”
The trial heard that the couple got together in late 2021 and married in September 2022.
Prosecutors said the abuse began soon into the relationship until the day of Kimberly’s death.
Among the list of incidents was an attack in early 2022 when Milne choked her.
Speaking to police before her death, Kimberly said: “Lee and I were in his home and he went through my phone.
“He saw messages from other men before we were together. He got angry and started to shout and swear at me.”
Another assault occurred months later when Milne yanked Kimberly by the hair to the ground before again apologising, claiming he was “not that type of guy”.
In late 2022, Kimberly said she discovered her husband had allegedly been cheating on her with other women.
He was said to have got “angry” and hit Kimberly on the head causing her to fall and slip unconscious.
A witness told the trial that on the night of Kimberly’s death, she spotted a man and woman appearing to have an argument.
She then went shopping before noticing the pair again outside a flooring store at the Kingsway Retail Park in Dundee.
The witness said this time the man was “trapping” the woman against the wall.
Asked what the woman was doing, the witness told the court: “Cowering, scared. She did not really do much. There was not much she could do.
“It did not look like (she was responding to the man) – she was seeming too frightened.”
In CCTV shown at the trial, Kimberly was seen cowering from Milne while he shouted at her, walking away as he drove at her, hiding behind a wall and trailing slowly behind him as he led the way.
The jury heard a statement from Kimberly’s mother Lynne Bruce, 54, in which she described Milne turning up at her house the morning after her daughter’s death.
The statement read: “I was woken up by Lee at my door. When I answered he said something along the lines of Kim has gone.
“I didn’t know what he was on about and he came in the house.
“He said something along the lines of Kim had pulled the steering wheel and crashed the car.
“He then said Kim had gone up to the bridge and he had chased her.
“He tried to grab her hands and she looked up at him, shook her head before jumping off.”
Det Chf Insp Craig Kelly, the officer who led the investigation, said he was glad Milne was “behind bars, where he should be.”
The detective said: “He is a violent bully who demonstrated emotional and physical violence towards Kimberly and coercive control.
“Witness testimony and CCTV evidence painted a picture of quite horrendous domestic abuse.
“Witnesses described him as being very aggressive and it was obvious Kimberly was terrified of him.
“He never fully accepted accountability for his actions and tried to attribute blame to Kimberly’s vulnerabilities.”
‘Landmark case’
Milne’s conviction is the first of its kind in Scotland, though similar cases have been heard in English courts.
Nicholas Allen was jailed for 10 years in 2017 for the manslaughter of his ex-girlfriend after she killed herself as a “direct result” of his controlling behaviour.
The case in Stafford was thought to be the first manslaughter case brought in such circumstances.
In 2018, Steven Gane, of Upminster, was jailed for “driving his partner to suicide” through domestic abuse – though it was an inquest that ultimately concluded he was responsible for her unlawful killing.
On Kimberly Milne, Scotland’s Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said it had been a “landmark case”.
COPFS legal director Laura Buchan said: “This prosecution sought to answer a complex question – can a partner be held criminally responsible for the death of a victim who has taken their own life following a course of domestic abuse?
“Lee Milne physically and psychologically abused Kimberly and our evidence showed that this abuse was a significant contributing factor in her death.
“He deliberately and ruthlessly exploited Kimberly’s vulnerabilities which makes him culpable for her decision to end her own life.”
If you, or someone you know, have been affected by domestic abuse or violence, help is available via BBC Action Line.
Source: BBC
