Spotlight on Sentencing
Sky News reported on the case of Donald Jeffrey the other day, a man convicted of terrible violence against women who also has a long record of other serious crimes.
Now this psychopath was handed a life sentence, but one which means he is eligible for parole after serving only 10 years.
I have to say I find it completely incredible that this relatively young man was not locked up for the rest of his life because if you ask me, anyone capable of committing such appalling acts is bound to re-offend if he ever gets released.
Man Ripped Girlfriend's Teeth Out With Pliers
The woman was repeatedly raped by Donald Jeffrey, who also tried to drown her in a freezing bath, a court heard.
Sky News -Tuesday 1 December 2015
Donald Jeffrey was jailed for life
By James Matthews - Scotland Correspondent
A man has been jailed for life following a campaign of domestic violence which included ripping out his girlfriend's teeth with a pair of pliers.
Donald Jeffrey’s victim told the jury how her teeth rattled off the floor as he pulled them out and then told her: "Give me a smile."
The High Court in Paisley also heard the woman was repeatedly raped by Jeffrey, who also tried to drown her in a freezing bath and threatened to throw her out of a 17th-floor window.
He also hit her with a hammer on the legs and head, and dropped heavy dumb-bells onto her body after demanding she lie on the ground.
The 44-year-old also subjected another woman to violence, striking her on the arm with a martial arts weapon while she was heavily pregnant.
Jeffrey, from Glasgow, was convicted of a total of 13 charges including attempted murder, five rapes and a number of assaults in a trial earlier this year.
He was ordered to serve 10 years behind bars for his "appalling offences" before being eligible for parole and placed on the Sex Offenders' register indefinitely.
Passing sentence, judge Lord Matthews imposed an order for lifelong restriction on Jeffrey - who denied the allegations - meaning he will be supervised for the rest of his life after being released from prison.
The judge told him: "You dominated the lives of these women and subjected them to extreme emotional and physical cruelty as well as sexual aggression."
Jeffrey's first victim told the jury she had gone to his home in the city's Maryhill in June last year to enjoy a meal and some drinks.
But he flew into a rage when he logged onto Facebook and accused his girlfriend of "talking to other men".
The 47-year-old victim told the court that, after striking her several times, he told her to fetch a pair of pliers.
The woman was so petrified, she handed them to Jeffrey despite knowing his intentions.
The victim told the jury: "He had threatened before to take my teeth out with pliers.
"I was hoping to god that he would not do this. But, when I gave him them, he did not need to ask me to open my mouth ... I just stood there.
"I did not even want to think what would happen if I refused - I was not taking the chance. He then started - pliers in, pull ... pliers in, pull.
"One tooth took an extreme amount of force because two of my teeth had been glued together (during earlier dental work)."
She added: "I could hear my teeth falling onto the wooden floor."
The woman remembered about eight of her teeth being ripped out. They have still to be repaired a year later.
The trial heard Jeffrey then stood her in front of the bathroom mirror and said: "Oh, you look good now" and "give me a smile".
The woman never spoke to police until last year. She tried to cover up the abuse by making claims such as being involved in bike accidents.
Jeffrey was convicted of five offences on a second woman - two rapes, indecent assault and two assaults between 1994 and 1998.
The jury heard after the verdicts that Jeffrey already had three high court convictions.
He was previously jailed for robbery, firearms offences and drug crimes.
Jeffrey showed no emotion as he was led hand-cuffed to the cells.
