A Fife man sat on top of his partner and squeezed her neck to the point she struggled to speak or breathe after accusing her of cheating.
Liam Mahady, 28, of Calaiswood Crescent in Saline, went to the woman’s home 30 minutes after an argument on the phone and carried out the assault.
Procurator fiscal depute Catherine Stevenson told Dunfermline Sheriff Court Mahady had gone to the woman’s home and “continued to accuse the complainer of cheating on him” and started pushing her around.
Ms Stevenson said: “The complainer was terrified.
“She then remembers the accused being on top of her with his hands around her neck.
“He was applying enough pressure for the complainer to struggle to either breathe or speak but she did not lose consciousness.
“A neighbour then contacted police following the disturbance.”
The depute fiscal said the woman was left with slight grazing to her neck, back and elbows.
‘Very serious assault’
Mahady pled guilty to sitting on top of the woman and placing his hands around her neck, compressing her neck and repeatedly pushing her, all to her injury, at a property in the Fife village on September 12 last year.
Defence lawyer Elaine Buist said Mahady “deeply regrets” the incident.
Sheriff Francis Gill fined Mahady £450 and ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work as part of a community payback order.
The sheriff told him: “You have accepted full responsibility for your actions but this was a very serious assault, aggravated by being carried out on your partner.
“It was a very frightening and upsetting experience for her and there’s no excuse for it.”
The sheriff did not consider it appropriate to grant a non-harassment order.
The court heard the woman had told police this would not be necessary.
