TWO young Monklands mothers have bravely spoken out about the years of hell they suffered at the hands of the same violent partner.

Danielle Panton and Clare McIlwraith both of Airdrie, each endured a catalogue of domestic abuse – including terrifying attacks while both were heavily pregnant – during their relationships with jailed Gartlea thug John George McGhee.

McGhee was sentenced to four years in prison last month after pleading guilty to ten separate charges. The jail term dates back to March 7 this year when he was first taken into custody.

A two-year extended sentence and a six-year non-harrassment order with the power of arrest – relating to both his victims – was also handed down.

Five of the charges were for attacking Claire, three for attacking Danielle and the remaining two for acting in a threatening or abusive manner.

McGhee pleaded guilty to punching Claire in the face, kicking her on the body, throwing a dinner plate at her, holding a knife against her throat and pinning her against a wall while pregnant.

He also pleaded guilty to striking Danielle on the head, compressing her neck to restrict her breathing and jamming her in a door while she was pregnant.

Both women had the courage to come forward and speak to the Advertiser about their harrowing experiences.

Danielle, from Gartlea, was in a relationship with 27-year-old McGhee for three and a half years between 2009 and 2012.

And the mum of two has a two- year-old daughter by the violent thug.

The 27-year-old explained: “When we first got together things were good but after about three or four months he became verbally abusive.

“He was very controlling and he completely cut me off from my friends and family and the verbal abuse soon turned physical.

“To start with I just noticed him acting in an aggressive manner but he later turned that on me and became violent.”

Danielle explained that she was attacked on several occasions in their own home – with McGhee strangling her during one particularly terrifying incident.

And she also recalled a sickening assault while she was pregnant with the couple’s only child together.

She added: “He attacked me when I was eight months pregnant and I was taken to hospital with heart concerns.”

Danielle admitted that since splitting up with him in 2012, McGhee continued to make her life a “total nightmare”.

“Along with smashing my windows, I’ve caught him peering into my bedroom at night and I’ve been threatened,” she said.

And since going to the police Danielle confirmed that other problems have arisen.

She said: “I’ve woken up in the morning to find that my car has been vandalised. One time it was covered in cake mix while on another the tyres were slashed.

“I’m relieved that he is in prison now and I’m trying to ensure that he never has access to my wee girl.

“He has made my life a living nightmare and I don’t think I would’ve got through it had it not been for my daughters. Things were that bad.”

Whinhall mum-of-two Clare McIlwraith also came forward to speak of her torment at the hands of her former abusive partner.

She has a six-year-old daughter with McGhee, from a three-year relationship that began in 2007 and ended in 2010.

Clare said: “He completely isolated me from my friends and family within a few months and I just didn’t know how to escape.

“Things turned violent quite quickly. I had a knife held to my throat, I’ve been punched in the face and he kicked me in the stomach when I had just left hospital after a hernia.

“I had to go back to hospital for surgery after that and I now have a metal mesh fitted in my stomach.”

Clare, 26, from Whinhall, claimed that she was left terrified by the actions of McGhee.

She added: “My weight plummeted to five and a half stones, I was just so scared. There are things I don’t even remember – things I have somehow managed to just totally block out.

“For years I spent every day in fear and I was so stressed out.”

And although the Gartlea man is set to spend a lengthy spell behind bars, Clare admitted that her fears haven’t been completely laid to rest.

“I feel that his prison sentence is just not long enough”, she commented.

“I’m happy that he is away now and I’m glad not to be constantly looking over my shoulder but I really am dreading the day he gets out.

“I’m really trying not to think about it but I’m going through counselling at the moment and I’m also trying to ensure that he never has access to my daughter.”

Although their time with McGhee overlapped, Clare and Danielle have grown close having gone through similar ordeals.

Clare added: “The shared experiences have brought us close together.

“It’s good to have someone to talk to who knows what it is like.”

A spokesman for Victim Support Scotland said: “Victim Support Scotland believes it is very important that there is a correct balance between the protection of the public and the resettlement of offenders.

“As an organisation dealing with almost 200,000 victims and witnesses of crime every year, we see at first hand the devastating impact that sexual crimes have on victims and the ongoing effects that last far beyond the sentencing of an offender.

“The presence of such offenders within communities can obviously cause concern. It is vital for communities that there is confidence that sex offenders are properly monitored.”