A Fife man who hit his pregnant partner in the stomach during a vicious attack and told her he hoped she lost the unborn child has been jailed for 27 months.
Iain Wardrop, 39, a prisoner, admitted a string of violent offences which occurred over a period of five months.
On various dates between July 6 and December 21 at a house in Greenloanings, Kirkcaldy, he assaulted Keri-Anne Balfour, his then pregnant partner.
He grabbed and pulled her by the hair, repeatedly punched her on the face and kicked her on the body, repeatedly seized her by the neck and compressed her throat whereby her breathing was restricted and uttered threats of violence towards her, all to her injury.
Defence solicitor Yvonne McKenna said her client had been in custody since December 29 and the relationship was at an end.
She said their relationship had previously been “volatile” and “passionate”.
Wardrop had worked as a scaffolder until a shoulderinjury meant he had to give it up. He was working at Amazon at the end of last year and had to work longer shifts in the run-up to Christmas.
He had difficulty getting to sleep around that time and tried to remedy the problem by drinking alcohol.
The solicitor said her client had taken an overdose on the day of the assault and could not remember the circumstances.
His former partner has since given birth and has been in touch with Wardrop while he has been in custody.
Sheriff Craig McSherry said: “In my opinion it’s worthy only of a custodial sentence.”
Wardrop was jailed for 27 months.
