Edinburgh crime: Ross Queripel warned he could face jail over campaign of abuse against partner

Man monitored partner’s phone, smashed her candle over her head and dumped her in car park in her pyjamas

A man who carried out a shocking campaign of domestic abuse against his terrified partner has been told he could be facing a jail sentence.

Ross Queripel repeatedly abused and attacked his girlfriend over a 16-month period while the pair lived together at his Edinburgh home between January 2021 and May last year.

Queripel, 27, took control of and constantly monitored the woman’s mobile phone and social media accounts and on one occasion savagely smashed her over the head with a glass candle. He also cracked his victim over the head with her laptop during one violent rage and dumped her at a deserted car park while she was only wearing pyjamas.

Ross Queripel pled quilty to the charges when he appeared in a wheelchair at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the horrific abuse was only halted when the woman’s parents found out about the attacks on their daughter and reported him to the police. Queripel appeared at court in a wheelchair on Thursday, October 26, where he pleaded guilty to engaging in a course of behaviour which was abusive of his partner by assaulting her and monitoring her movements.

Sheriff Wendy Sheehan said the repeated incidents of physical and emotional abuse were “a very serious matter that might well have reached the custody threshold”. The sheriff told the first offender she was willing to grant him bail and deferred sentence for the preparation of social work reports, a restriction of liberty order assessment and a report from the domestic abuse organisation, the Caledonian Men’s Programme.

Prosecutor Clare Green told the court of a catalogue of domestic abuse incidents committed by Queripel starting on January 1, 2021 and ending on May 1 last year. Ms Green said the victim’s family had spotted bruising to her face on several occasions but she claimed she had been suffering the injuries from household accidents.

The fiscal said over the course of the abuse Queripel would “constantly” grab hold of his partner’s phone and on one occasion he took control when he “logged into all her social media accounts and changed the passwords”. The court heard Queripel often attacked the woman in their home by “punching, kicking and slapping” her to the face and body.

One shocking assault in March 2021 saw him fly “into a rage and strike her to the head” resulting in her having to attend Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to have staples inserted to two head wounds.

The court was also told when the women went on nights out with family and friends jealous Queripel would “repeatedly call and text her” to find out where she was and who she was with. In an incident in June 2021 Queripel drove the woman to a secluded car park at night and forced her from his car and left her there while she was only wearing pyjamas before later returning to collect her.

The fiscal depute said the victim’s parents were becoming increasingly concerned after noticing their daughter had stopped socialising with her family and friends around April last year. The woman eventually broke down and confessed to her family about the abuse she had been suffering and her parents decided to attend at a local police station to report Queripel on May 3 last year.

Sentence was deferred until next month.