A former soldier who slit his girlfriend’s throat because she was “nipping his head” could be facing life in prison.
Robert Moffat attacked his victim at his home in Dunipace, Stirlingshire, and left her with a horrific neck wound.
Moffat, 56, was out on licence after being freed early from a previous sentence – for another serious assault – when he tried to murder Annelouise Gallacher on May 31 last year.
A judge told Moffat at the High Court in Edinburgh: “You have a record of previous convictions but this is undoubtedly the most serious to date.”
Lord Tyre told jurors: “It was a very serious case and in some ways a rather distressing one.”
Moffat had denied attempting to murder Annelouise by assaulting her to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and impairment and to the danger of her life but was found guilty of the crime.
He inflicted further injuries to her head and body by means unknown to the prosecutor.
The court heard that after the attack Moffat, claimed the victim had a knife but he was trained in unarmed combat and went to disarm her.
He told police he had been in a relationship with the 31-year-old for about eight or nine weeks.
He said he suffered from post traumatic stress disorder from being in the Army.
A detective told the court that she had noted him as saying that the incident happened because “she was nipping his head”.
Moffat said that after the attack he got a towel and put it on Annelouise’s neck and called a friend.
She suffered a badly broken nose and fractured cheekbone, as well as the life-threatening throat wound that left her windpipe visible.
HGV driver Moffat claimed that when he went into the living room, his victim was standing with a knife and he grabbed her. He said she fell and he landed on top of her. Moffat told the court: “I sort of believe she has done it to herself.”
He told his lawyer Matt Jackson QC he had not deliberately harmed the victim with the knife.
The Crown made an application for the court to consider an Order for Lifelong Restriction – meaning he would only freed if parole authorities are satisfied he no longer poses a danger to the public.
