Trigger warning: This article contains references to physical abuse and suicide.
A 40-year-old man, Lee Milne, was sentenced to eight years in prison by the High Court in Glasgow after being found guilty in March of culpable homicide for driving his wife to suicide through abusive behaviour.
Milne’s 28-year-old wife, Kimberly, jumped to her death from a bridge in Dundee on July 27, 2023. The couple had been married for 18 months. Prosecutors said Milne subjected Kimberly to physical, emotional and financial abuse, including choking, dragging and punching her unconscious. He sometimes locked her in their flat without food and restricted her access to money.
CCTV footage from the day of her death showed Milne yelling at Kimberly in a Dundee supermarket. Another video captured him driving his car towards her and swerving away at the last moment; she threw herself from the nearby bridge moments later.
“Lee Milne physically and psychologically abused Kimberly Bruce (Milne) and our evidence showed that this abuse was a significant contributing factor in her death,” prosecutor Laura Buchan said. “He deliberately and ruthlessly exploited Kimberly’s vulnerabilities, which makes him culpable for her decision to end her own life.”
It was the first case in Scotland in which jurors were asked to decide whether a spouse could be criminally responsible for the suicide of their partner.
“Domestic abuse is rarely about one incident,” Judge Lorna Drummond said at sentencing. “It’s not only about violent acts, it includes more subtle, but nonetheless as harmful, exertions of power and control in a relationship. And it builds over time, each act, whether physical, psychological or financial, adds to the next, increasing pressure and fear, eroding confidence and independence. By the jury’s verdict, you must bear responsibility not only for all of your abusive acts, but also for causing her death.”
Kimberley’s sister said she had urged her to leave four months before the death, but Kimberly had replied that Lee had threatened to “do himself in without me.” The couple had briefly split but were still seen together on the day she died.
Members of Kimberly Milne’s family were in court for the sentencing. Family members described her as “one in a million” and said they were devastated by her death.
Editor’s note: If you are suffering from serious emotional strain or suicidal thoughts, do not hesitate to seek professional help. You can find information on where to find such help, no matter where you live, at https://befrienders.org/
Edited by: Alex Berry