A Lanarkshire woman who feared she'd die at the hands of her violent ex has blasted his 27 month sentence.
Speaking exclusively to Lanarkshire Live, the 33-year-old professional hit out after violent abuser Christopher Forrest was caged at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
The East Kilbride delivery driver was caught after horrific CCTV footage from a 'doggy cam' was released - it showed the thug throttling his ex-partner on a couch and telling her she was going to die.
It was part of a sickening three-year campaign of domestic abuse that has left the victim both mentally and physically scarred.
Forty-year-old Forrest previously pled guilty to assaulting his then partner to her injury and danger of life on three occasions at her Blantyre home between July 2017 and August 2020.
Sheriff Linda Nicolson ordered Forrest to serve 27 months' imprisonment, placing him on a one year supervision order and a 10 year non-harassment order.
She described the level of violence as "appalling" and "an attack to the danger of life".
But his traumatised ex-partner, who has been left with crippling anxiety and suffering panic attacks, has slammed the sentence.
She told us : "I'm disappointed with the length of the sentence due to the severity of the offences - he deserved more.
"But I'm massively relieved he is behind bars. It'll give me a bit of time to live life without fear of seeing him."
Forrest's victim told how she couldn't cope with going to court to see him being sentenced because she would "just start having panic attacks," adding "I can't breathe properly when I see him".
She said: "I actually saw him at a petrol station in East Kilbride a couple of weeks ago - I only saw the back of him and I totally freaked out, it just sets me back."
Forrest will be eligible for early release in October 2023, with his victim saying she 'lost more time than he will serve'.
Disappointed with the length of his term, she said she would have expected a "minimum of five years" for the number and severity of his charges.
Despite this, she does hope the publicity surrounding her abuse will encourage other domestic abuse victims to come forward and see "that there is light at the end of the tunnel".
In her victim impact statement, the Lanarkshire woman told how, on one occasion, demented Forrest forced bank notes into her mouth as punishment for asking him for money.
Chilling footage, recorded on a camera meant for dog-watching when the house was empty, shows Forrest hurling abuse and launching unprovoked attacks on the woman.
In one clip she can be heard gasping for breath as he chokes her, raging ‘you’re going to die'. In other footage she is "rag-dolled" against a car and thrown to the ground while Forrest hurls abuse at her.
"It'll only be a matter of time before he re-offends", she continued. "He's been violent his whole life and starts trouble wherever he goes.
"He's a man with a short fuse and he's just not in control. He picks on the weak, he always has done.
"It might be three or four years down the line, but he will go on to re-offend and it will only be a matter of time before he hurts someone else.
"I got in a relationship with Chris not being able to make an informed decision on his past. So going forward women will be able to go in with the full picture and make a more informed decision about him.
"If I had that chance and known a fraction of what I know about him now, I wouldn't have gone anywhere near him."
Following an appearance at court, vile mobile phone footage of Forrest’s mum smashing a slice of meat with a hammer and joking it was his victim’s face, went viral on social media.
The shocking clip - in which the victim’s name is repeatedly mentioned - came to light after Forrest was arrested.
His ex-partner says this is just one example of Forrest's "poor upbringing" that she believes has moulded him into the abuser he is today.
She claimed: "The reason for his behaviour is his poor upbringing. His lack of remorse, common sense and taking accountability for things has come from his mother.
"This whole time his mother has been telling him he's done nothing wrong and that I drove him to it - he just repeats what she says.
"The only thing I'm concerned about is the family harassing me the same way as they did before, they've already started messaging me and one of my friends has been sent threatening messages on social media which I've reported to police.
"The mother even messaged one of my friends saying, 'I mean he only strangled her for a couple of seconds'.
"They've not got the mentality or the maturity to respond like normal people. Most parents would be ashamed and apologetic, but they've been the complete opposite."
The court heard the the relationship began in 2015 and the first assault happened after the woman arrived home in Blantyre with shopping on July 6, 2017.
Caught on outside CCTV, the couple had an argument in their driveway where Forrest had been working on monoblock.
Forrest can be seen grabbing her by the throat and pinning her against the wall before shoving his victim against the car with such force the rear wiper breaks off.
On other occasions his victim was left with a bleeding nose and marks on her neck.
The brave Blantyre woman finally reported matters to the police in September 2020.
Looking to the future, she hopes her story will help raise awareness of domestic violence and make a positive difference.
"I'm relieved he's away for at least a year, I don't need to see him and that gives me a bit of time to heal properly", she said.
"Everything coming out now allows me to be able to talk about it. It's been very hard not being able to talk. People didn't understand the severity of it, it was horrendous.
"A man like this needs to learn that actions have consequences and if the courts aren't going to serve a lengthy enough sentence then he's got to realise that not only does a punishment of custodial come with such behaviour, but shame and being judged.
"I just wish I could do more for domestic abuse sufferers to help raise awareness. I would love to see the footage of my abuse make a difference and massively impact others.
"If it can help somebody at least it's one positive thing to come out of all of this."
The Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland act allows 'the right to ask' about a new partner's past, with Police Scotland having the 'power to tell' if there is information they think would-be partners should know regarding abusive or controlling behaviour.
More details about this can be found online.
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