A man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for killing his wife, who took her own life after enduring prolonged domestic abuse, in a case hailed as a legal milestone. Lee Milne, 40, from Dundee, was found guilty of culpable homicide at the High Court in Glasgow last month, becoming the first person in Britain to be convicted by a jury of killing an ex-partner through abuse without physically causing their death.
Kimberly Milne, 28, died after jumping from a bridge over the A90 road in July 2023. The court heard that on the night of her death, witnesses saw her 'distraught' and 'trapped' in Milne's arms shortly before she fell. The judge, Lady Drummond, said Milne knew Kimberly was 'in distress' and that she had 'reached a point of despair'. Milne had been subject to bail conditions banning him from contacting Kimberly, but he met her that night anyway.
The couple met online in 2021 and married the following year. During their relationship, Milne isolated Kimberly from her family, controlled her finances, and repeatedly choked her. When she tried to end the relationship, he threatened to kill himself. In one incident in early 2022, he choked her and spat in her mouth after going through her phone. In another attack in 2023, Kimberly told police: 'Lee repeatedly punched my ribs and I was begging him not to hurt me... I slept with a knife under my pillow as I was so frightened of him.'
Sentencing Milne on Friday, Lady Drummond said he posed a 'high risk of further offending' and imposed an additional three years on licence upon release. She noted that while Milne accepted some abusive behaviour, he continued to minimise aspects of his conduct. Kimberly's family hugged and cried in the public gallery as the sentence was delivered. The judge described Kimberly as 'one in a million, a much-loved daughter, sister and aunt'.
Scotland's legal system differs from England and Wales, with culpable homicide akin to manslaughter. While a similar case occurred in 2017 when Nicholas Allen admitted manslaughter after his ex-partner's suicide, Milne's conviction marks the first time a jury in Britain reached such a verdict. The court heard that Kimberly had a history of mental health issues, but the judge emphasised that Milne's abuse was a key factor in her death.
