Man who tried to murder wife after she left him by driving over her has sentence increased

Appeal judges have increased the prison term given to a man who tried to murder his wife in a car attack after she left him.

William Budge, 62, was given a seven year and four months long sentence by Judge Lord Lake earlier this year.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how he drove his car straight at the woman in April 2024.

Lord Lake heard how he struck the victim, who was aged 63, before carrying out a U-turn.

Budge then drove over the victim again as she lay helpless on the ground.

The sentence given to Budge prompted prosecutors to go to the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh.

Scotland’s most senior prosecution lawyer, Dorothy Bain KC, told appeal judges Lord Pentland, Lord Doherty and Lord Clark that the sentence given to Budge was “unduly lenient”.

In a written judgement issued by the court on Tuesday, Lord Pentland and his colleagues upheld the submissions made to them by the Lord Advocate.

The judges increased the sentence given to Budge to one of ten years and ten months.

Lord Pentland, who delivered the judgement, also described the reasons why the court increased the term.

He wrote: “In the present case, the level of culpability was particularly high as was the degree of harm caused.

“The respondent deliberately attempted to kill the complainer by driving his car at her. He did this twice, on the second occasion slowing down so that he could be sure to drive over her as she lay on the ground.

“In effect, he used his car as a deadly weapon against the complainer in two murderous attacks.

“It is obvious that a car driven directly at a person, which is what happened in the present case, is highly likely either to kill the target of the attack or at least to cause very serious injury with lasting consequences.

“The offence was seriously aggravated by being committed in the presence of the complainer’s niece and
her young child.

“The physical and psychological effects for the complainer have been severe and life-changing.

“The sentence failed adequately to reflect the gravity and consequences of the offence.

“This means that the total sentence of imprisonment to be served by the respondent will be one of ten years and ten months, an increase of three years and six months from the ultimate sentence imposed by the judge.”

When Budge was convicted of the attacks earlier this year, the court heard how the attack was caught on CCTV.

Lord Lake said the footage was “quite horrifying to watch” and that it was remarkable that the woman was not killed.

Lord Lake told the first offender at the High Court in Edinburgh: “The callousness and cruelty of your actions are astonishing.”

The judge took as a starting point for his sentence an 11-year jail term but reduced it to take into account his guilty plea to the crime.

But prosecution lawyers brought a challenge arguing against the sentence imposed and the level of discount given to Budge.

The Lord Advocate told appeal judges: “The CCTV footage puts it beyond doubt that this a particularly serious example of attempted murder.”

She said that after the initial phase of the attack, Budge “went on to the main road and turned back through traffic to deliberately run over the victim for a second time when she incapacitated and lying on the ground”.

She said: “The victim in this case was a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of the respondent (Budge) over many years.”

“He has plainly gone there to attack the victim. He is forcing her into the car. He is trying to get the phone off her. When that does not succeed, he drives over her,” she said.

Defence counsel Wendy Culross, for Budge, argued against the Crown appeal and maintained that there was no evidence of premeditation in the attempted murder.

Budge, formerly of Edinburgh admitted attempting to murder his wife on April 14 last year at the city’s Muirhouse Parkway.

During the assault to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and impairment and to the danger of her life he seized her by the body, tried to take her phone and to force her into his car before driving at her, knocking her to the ground and driving over her and returning to drive over her again as she lay on the ground.

The offence was aggravated by the abuse of his ex-partner.

The court heard that Budge had a bad temper and called her “a frigid b****” and a “s***” during their relationship.

In March last year, she left Budge after 33 years of marriage and moved into a flat before he turned up and carried out the car attack.

The victim suffered liver and lung injuries in the murder bid as well as internal bleeding and multiple fractures to bones.

In the judgment issued on Tuesday, Lord Pentland said there was “force” in the Crown’s submission to the court.