An East Kilbride woman has been left with permanent damage to her hearing after more than 12 years of beatings at the hands of her violent former husband.
Mark Burnett's abuse went unreported for a long period because his victim wanted to "keep her family together".
But Burnett, 41, who served in the Royal Air Force, finally faced justice at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday.
He admitted assaulting the woman to her injury and permanent impairment between January 2007 and August 2019.
The attacks took place at the couple's home in Troon Court, East KIlbride, and at other locations, including an IKEA car park.
Aga Mathieson, prosecuting, said repeated blows to the head burst the victim's eardrums, leaving her with reduced hearing and pain, and prone to infection.
As well as banging his wife's head off walls and other surfaces, Burnett caused her breathing difficulties by putting his hands and a pillow over her face.
On one occasion he held a scalpel near her eye and threatened her with a screwdriver.
The couple spent most of their married life in East Kilbride, but for a short period lived at RAF Lossiemouth when Burnett was based there.
The court heard they often argued over Burnett being unfaithful, but he told his son: "I hit your mum to shut her up. I should not have done that."
They were married for 14 years and, said Ms Mathieson, the assaults happened "once to three times a week".
The fiscal added: "At one point the accused told her he was seeking treatment for anger management.
"He didn't assault her for six months and she believed he had changed, but it didn't last and the regular violence resumed."
Mrs Burnett provided various excuses for the injuries she sustained.
Once, when she was pregnant, Burnett shoved her against a wall.
She was worried about her unborn baby and went to hospital for a check up. She claimed she had slipped on ice. Fortunately, the baby was unharmed.
On another occasion she told hospital staff she had fallen while getting out of the bath.
She even claimed that her infant son was responsible for bruising on her face, saying he was "going through a headbutting stage".
Ms Mathieson told the court: "At one point Mrs Burnett was working in a medical centre in East Kilbride.
"One day the office manager saw her in a distressed state, with marks on her arms.
"She disclosed that the injuries had been caused by the accused and was encouraged to report the assault to the police.
"But she didn't feel she could do that as she wanted to keep her family together."
After another attack Mrs Burnett was left "dazed" and went to hospital. She said her husband had assaulted her but again refused to report him to the police, leaving a doctor "angry" at her attitude.
The violence continued after the couple separated in 2018 and the victim later described how Burnett would be "foaming at the mouth" as he attacked her.
Finally, she reported him and he made an initial court appearance in September 2020.
Sentence on Burnett was deferred until next month for a criminal justice social work report and an electronic tagging assessment.
Sheriff Liam Murphy told him: "You have pleaded guilty to a charge involving serious violence, committed systemically over a number of years."
Burnett, now of Riccarton, East Kilbride, was allowed to remain on bail meantime.
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