A man who deliberately drove his car into his wife in an Edinburgh hit-and-run attack has died in prison, two years after carrying out the violent assault that shocked the city.
William Budge targeted his wife Sandra with his vehicle after she ended their marriage. The attack, which took place in Edinburgh, saw Budge use his car as a weapon against the woman he had been married to, in what prosecutors described as a calculated and brutal act of violence.
Budge was convicted and jailed for the attack, but has since died while serving his sentence behind bars.
The case drew significant attention at the time of sentencing, highlighting the devastating reality of domestic violence and the extreme lengths some abusers will go to when a relationship comes to an end. Relationship breakdowns can tragically trigger some of the most dangerous moments for victims of domestic abuse, with statistics consistently showing that women face the highest risk of serious harm when they choose to leave a partner.
Sandra survived the attack, though the trauma of being deliberately struck by a vehicle driven by someone she had once trusted would have had lasting consequences. The deliberate use of a car as a weapon is treated with the utmost seriousness by Scottish courts, reflecting the life-threatening nature of such attacks.
Scottish Women’s Aid and other domestic abuse organisations have long campaigned for greater awareness around the dangers victims face when leaving abusive relationships. The Edinburgh case serves as a grim reminder of why support services and legal protections for those escaping abusive partners remain critically important.
Budge’s death in custody brings a definitive end to his sentence, though for Sandra and those close to her, the impact of what happened on that Edinburgh street will not simply disappear.
Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service have not made any public comment on the circumstances surrounding his death in custody.