Landmark case in Scotland on domestic abuse and suicide

Trigger warning: this article discusses domestic abuse and suicide which might be distressing for some members.

In July 2023, 28 year old Kimberly Milne jumped from a bridge over the A90 in Dundee, was hit by multiple vehicles and died at the scene.

On 3 March 2026, Kimberly’s husband Lee Milne was convicted of culpable homicide and was also found guilty of subjecting her to a course of coercive and controlling behaviour during their relationship. He was sentenced to eight years in prison with a further three-year sentence extension.

This is the first successful prosecution of its kind in Scotland. 

Kimberly and Lee met in late 2021 and married in 2022. During their relationship Kimberly was never free of the fear that Lee would attack her. In early 2022 he choked her and spat in her mouth after going through her phone and reading old messages from before she met him. He forced her to the ground by her hair in another incident, and he knocked her unconscious in late 2022 after she found out he was cheating on her. 

Lee exploited Kimberly’s vulnerabilities, controlling her finances, threatening suicide when she tried to leave and isolating her from her family. She had a history of mental ill health, and had made suicide attempts before. On the night of her death, he was seen on CCTV trapping her against a wall, driving his car at her and finally following her onto the bridge where she ended her life. The judge, Lady Drummond, described Kimberly as reaching “a point of despair”.

This is a landmark case for Scotland, as the first case where someone has been convicted of culpable homicide (the Scots law equivalent to manslaughter). There have been five previous manslaughter convictions in England and Wales for abusers whose partners have ended their own lives as a direct response to their actions.

We know that some of our members have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse from a partner, ex-partner or family member. The abuse doesn’t just go away when the person is at work or away from the home. Perpetrators can still control their partners through their phone, limiting their access to money and their children, wearing them down and causing them to live in fear. This doesn’t stop when the survivor is at work. We bring our whole selves to work making domestic abuse a workplace issue and therefore a trade union issue.

If you, or anyone you know, is experiencing domestic abuse, you can reach out for help to Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage helpline on 0800 027 1234 (Whatsapp 07401 288595) which is open 24/7. In England, Refuge’s helpline is 0808 2000 247, and in Wales, the Welsh Government operates a helpline on 0808 8010 100.

You can also speak in confidence with a local PCS rep.

PCS runs a domestic abuse course. For more information on this, please keep up to date on the Courses page on the PCS website.

Download and read our Domestic Abuse Reps’ Guide, revised in keeping with changes to UK legislation and the introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021