Eve Graham, from Nairn, was pushed into the sea from a pier, bitten on the nose and smashed over the head with a bucket in brutal attacks at the hands of violent William McDonald. The 68-year-old mother said finally speaking out was the best decision she ever made and led to her helping several other victims of abuse.
Abuser to walk free after just 12 months
McDonald, from Ardersier, Inverness-shire, was jailed for two years at the High Court in Edinburgh in June last year after being convicted of charges spanning 47 years, with a judge saying the 76-year-old had demonstrated a “disturbing propensity towards violence and cruelty”. Eve has now been notified that her ex will be released halfway through his sentence this week and is taking steps to ensure her safety with police.
Despite previously slamming McDonald’s “very lenient sentence”, she said she has no regrets over seeking justice. She said: “It was absolutely worth it. I really got a lot of backlash after I spoke out. People claiming he wouldn’t hurt a fly. But after a few months people were seeing the other side and now I feel like it’s gone full circle. I have a lot of support in my community, I’m getting my confidence back I have a lot of women contacting me who have suffered abuse.”
Decades of abuse
It was 1979 when Eve first alerted police to the abuse after she was dragged by her hair by McDonald at their East Kilbride home. But she claims he was just given a “talking to”. In 1981, McDonald threw her and shook her causing her to hit her head on a chair. Police were called but Eve claims no further action was taken. In 1987, he pushed Eve off a pier in Nairn. She said: “Every time nothing happened it gave him more power.”
The musician was convicted of more abuse between August 2019 and August 2022. In one assault he put a towel over her head and bit her on the nose. In 2022, he knelt on Eve’s arm, causing deep bruising, and pushed her against walls. On her GP’s advice, she spoke to police. But in 2023, Eve went on to lodge a formal complaint over the police investigation. Police Scotland said complaints had not been upheld but insisted it is committed to tackling domestic abuse.
Support and moving forward
Eve said she finally feels supported in the wake of McDonald’s release. She said: “I will always have that fear that if something goes wrong in his life he will target me. But Police Scotland are bending over backwards to provide support. They are coming out to my home to check my security and are going to provide me with a mobile with GPS to pinpoint my location if I have to use it. I do think with the amount of shouting I’ve done, that women will be treated better because of it.”
Eve was left stunned in January when she was wrongly informed under the Victim Notification Scheme that McDonald was to be set free - 18 months early. The SPS apologised for the blunder. Eve, who has been diagnosed with severe PTSD, has also been targeted online in recent months. She said: “People tried to blacken my name, claiming I was paid for speaking out. That can never be used against me. There have been some toxic things written about me, saying the case was rigged and the jury was instructed to return a guilty verdict to increase the number of convictions. I’ve been threatened with being taken to court myself. But me speaking out was the best thing I ever did, though I didn’t think so at the time.”
She added: “I’ve had so many women contacting me in the last year. Some just wanted to tell me their story. Some I have met up with and kept in contact with. Speaking out is a lot to cope with but I want other women to know that there is great help out there now to support you.”
