'Calculating and controlling' domestic abuser who ran over estranged wife jailed for attempted murder

A man who deliberately knocked down his estranged wife with his van and threatened to set her on fire has been jailed for eight years.

Alan Johnston, 62, was branded a "calculating and controlling domestic abuser" by a top prosecutor. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said Johnston, of Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire, became increasingly abusive towards the woman as he "lost control of her" during their relationship.

He restricted her access to the internet, dictated which rooms she was allowed into at their home and poured water from a kettle over her head. The High Court in Dundee also heard how he attempted to block the sale of their property and watched her from his parked vehicle while revving the engine.

Johnston's offending, which COPFS said took place over the course of almost four years, came to a head when he struck the woman with a van on 4 March 2024. Eyewitness evidence presented during the trial detailed how he then assaulted the injured victim, before threatening to set her on fire using petrol.

Judge Lord Ericht said: "While you were in the process of getting divorced, you attempted to murder your wife with your car. "When that did not succeed, you chased after her, threatening to set her alight." Johnston was last month found guilty of three charges following a trial at the High Court in Dundee.

He was convicted of abusive behaviour towards an ex-partner; assault to injury and to the danger of life and attempted murder; and breaching a civil domestic abuse interdict - which the victim had obtained to keep herself safe from her estranged husband. Johnston was handed a 10-year extended sentence at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday, with eight years in jail and two years on licence once released back into the community.

He was also banned from contacting his victim. Read more from Sky News:UK's 'most remote pub' cancels Harry Potter party after backlashPolice hunt men after woman raped and robbed Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for COPFS, said: "Alan Johnston is a calculating and controlling domestic abuser whose actions could have had devastating consequences.

"Prosecutors were able to demonstrate a course of abusive behaviour which culminated in him attempting to murder his estranged wife with a vehicle. "Johnston has now been held accountable following this prosecution, which should send a clear message to those who commit this type of offending.

"No one should have to live in fear of a partner or former partner, and I would urge anyone affected to consider reporting your experience when you feel ready, able and safe to do so. "You will be listened to and supported by our trauma-informed staff as we seek to use all the tools available to seek justice.".