WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Lee Milne, 40, has become the first person in the UK to be convicted of culpable homicide after his wife Kimberly, 28, took her own life following coercive and controlling behaviour
Distressing footage has revealed an abusive husband driving recklessly and appearing to shout at his wife in a supermarket just hours before she took her own life.
Kimberly Milne, 28, tragically died after falling from an overpass and being hit by a vehicle on the A90 Kingsway West in Dundee on 27 July in 2023.
Lee Milne, 40, was handed an eight-year prison sentence at the High Court in Glasgow today (April 10) after being convicted of culpable homicide and domestic abuse offences following a trial at the same court last month.
CCTV footage from around the Kingsway area of Dundee captured Milne’s aggressive behaviour towards his wife shortly before her suicide.
Footage released by the Crown Office shows Milne driving erratically into the Tesco Superstore car park on Old Glamis Road on the night Kimberley died, reports the Daily Record.
In the clip, he can be seen speeding in a silver Ford Fiesta as he enters the car park and performs a handbrake turn.
The vehicle spins round and ends up in a disabled bay as the thug exits out the driver’s door and struts around the car to the passenger side.
Lee then gets back in the car as Kimberly exits and walks through the car park. He then accelerates behind his wife, narrowly avoiding hitting her with the vehicle.
In a second clip, Lee can be seen walking ahead of Kimberly as they leave the Tesco store. She appears visibly upset, with her hand held up to her face, as Lee shouts in her face.
In additional CCTV footage taken outside the shop, Lee continues to walk in front of Kimberly.
Moments later, they walked onto a flyover bridge from which Kimberly scaled the barrier and jumped.
A text exchange between Kimberly and her sister from March 2023, four months prior to her death, was also disclosed by the Crown.
Kimberly messaged: “How can I leave him if he’s saying he’s going to do himself in without me?”
Her sister responded: “I would just leave him. He doesn’t care if that’s what he’s doing to be honest Kim.”
In a victim impact statement from her family, the court heard that Kimberley was “a much-loved daughter, sister, aunt, and they are devastated by her death.”
Judge Lady Drummond stated: “Nothing I can do or say can bring her back or ease their grief.”
Lady Drummond also handed Lee a three-year extended sentence, meaning he will be on licence following his release.
Lee was also convicted of subjecting his wife, Kimberly, to a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour over the course of their relationship from January 2022 to July 2023.
This marks the first time an offender has been held criminally accountable for their partner’s suicide following a trial.
At the High Court in Glasgow, prosecutors from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) presented evidence of Milne’s violent and controlling behaviour towards Kimberly in the months leading up to her demise.
The court was told that Milne had repeatedly restrained Kimberly and dragged her about. He confined her in their flat without food or money, brutally attacked her and throttled her.
Kimberly battled health problems which made her susceptible to Milne’s manipulation. In this groundbreaking case, prosecutors demonstrated that his calculated abuse of Kimberly was a major contributing factor in her death.
Prosecutor Laura Buchan, COPFS Legal Director, 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 Bruce 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.
“His coercive and controlling behaviour escalated throughout the relationship. On the night that Kimberly died, his abuse was carried out in full public view.
“Our prosecution demonstrated how women can become trapped in relationships in webs created by an abuser. We are thinking of the family and friends of Kimberly who have suffered such a terrible loss and unimaginable trauma.”
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