AN IRVINE mum 'left for dead' by her violent ex-partner has welcomed her attacker's jail sentence and encouraged other women to come forward and report domestic abuse.
Alexander Ballantyne was handed a six-year extended sentence when he returned to Kilmarnock Sheriff Court earlier this month.
He will spend four of those years behind bars, and a further two on licence within the community, with that sentence backdated to his initial remand on March 6 last year.
The 33-year-old previously pleaded guilty to seven charges, involving four women, spanning more than a decade - from July 2011 to March 2025.
At the time, the court heard of horrific, violent conduct and mental torment which left the victims "terrified", "scared of men" and having "recurring nightmares".
Now, one of those women has bravely spoken out to welcome the conviction of her abuser.
Stacie Sinclair told the Times: “He had got away with it for so long, I think he just thought he was untouchable.”
Stacie was in a seven-month relationship with Ballantyne during which he tried to control what she wore, attempted to prevent her from going on holiday and used her bank card without repaying her.
The relationship ended on March 4 last year when, during an argument, the brute headbutted Stacie and grabbed her by the throat, then repeatedly punched her in the face.
On multiple occasions, she lost consciousness, awakening in a pool of blood and seeing Ballantyne running away from her home.
Police later attended as her son, then aged 11, witnessed part of the ordeal and reached out for help.
It was after Stacie spoke to police that three other women were able to come forward after being abused at the hands of Ballantyne.
While the Irvine woman admits that the process of securing a conviction was difficult, she said that the outcome was more than worth it.
“The main thing that has kept me going throughout has been getting justice for these other women as well," she said, "and hopefully stopping it from happening again.
"Now that I am at the end of it, I am so glad that I did it. It has helped me close that chapter. I feel a bit proud of myself, and for the other women, for what we have done."
Stacie hopes that convictions such as Ballantyne's can encourage other women to come forward.
She added: “One of the main things I found hard was worrying what other people would think, if they would believe you or if the police or court would believe you. A lot of women don’t come forward because they’re scared of that.
“But these men need stopped; if they don’t get stopped, they’re going to keep doing it to other people.
“Come forward, speak up. We need more women to speak up. You might help someone else to come forward as well.”
She feels that, if she did not come forward when she did, it was only a matter of time until Ballantyne's actions had even more serious consequences.
Stacie continued: “His behaviour was getting worse each time. He nearly killed me in front of my child.
“I think, if my son hadn’t been there and run through when he did, he wasn’t going to stop. If it wasn’t me, it would have been the next woman.
“I was lying, unconscious, in a pool of blood in front of my child. He took my keys and phone and ran. My wee boy had to phone for help; he thought I was dead.
“For an 11-year-old to have to go through that, to phone for help, get emergency services and perform first aid on his mother – there and then he proved himself to be more of a man than the one who just knocked me out and ran away.
“I think he deserves all the recognition in the world and the sentence just doesn’t justify what that wee boy went through, never mind me, it’s just disgusting."
Stacie is hoping that his sentence, which also included non-harassment orders being put in place between Ballantyne and each of the four women - and Stacie's son - for five years, will allow her to look forward in life.
She said: “It’s completely changed my life. It’s changed me as a person, it’s changed my son and changed my family.
“Especially when it comes to relationships. I’m going to be very wary of who I let into my life and my son’s life in the future.
“There are positives that have come out of it as well. I didn’t realise that I could be this strong and do the things I have done this last year and get through it.
“I’m looking forward to moving on now and getting on with my life.”
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