A Kirkcaldy delivery driver has narrowly avoided imprisonment after wrapping a towel around his partner’s neck during an argument about cigarettes.
Zubair Iqbal’s victim was left with a bruised neck following the attack.
Her screams were heard by a neighbour.
Iqbal admitted the domestic assault at a previous hearing and appeared again at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for sentencing this week.
He had originally been charged with restricting the woman’s breathing.
Sheriff Alastair Brown stopped short of jailing Iqbal but issued a stern warning about his conduct.
‘Despicable and dangerous’
The sheriff said: “The point about this is, you placed a towel around this lady’s neck.
“When you put something around someone’s neck, first of all you (communicate) to her you can kill her at any time of your choosing.
“It is profoundly distressing. It does serious psychological damage.
“What you did was both despicable and very dangerous.
“That’s why I’m seriously considering sending you to custody.
“I hope that you are going to learn not to use violence towards domestic partners in future and in particular you must learn never to put anything around somebody’s neck.
“I think in this case I can step away from custody but you are extremely close to it and you must understand that.
“There is no leeway, it’s a direct alternative to custody.”
Cigarette squabble
The court was previously told on the evening of August 2, Iqbal received a phone call from his partner of six years asking him to pick her up some cigarettes.
The pair squabbled over the phone about Iqbal going to a friend’s house first.
The 31-year-old arrived at their property 20 minutes later and threw a packet of cigarettes in the woman’s direction.
Fiscal depute Amy Robertson said: “The accused then picked up a towel and began to twist it around as if he was going to whip her with it.”
Instead, Iqbal put the towel across the front of the woman’s neck and tightened it.
Allegations this restricted the woman’s breathing were previously dropped by prosecutors, although the attack did leave the woman with bruising.
When he released the towel, the woman fell to the ground and hr screams were heard by a neighbour.
She told him to leave the house or she would phone police and Iqbal attempted to take the phone from her hand.
He admitted continuing his assault by kicking her ankle and throwing the phone at her, striking her on the body.
‘He worshipped her’
Solicitor Alan Jackson said the couple would not be reuniting.
“He was feeling particularly low. There’s reference to his very low self-esteem (in the social work report).
“He was fond of her at the time. He worshipped her.
“It’s not lost on him at all that he is facing custody.”
Sheriff Alastair Brown issued a three-year non-harassment order to protect the woman and ordered Iqbal to complete the Caledonian Men’s Project to rehabilitate domestic offenders.
The sheriff placed him under supervision for two years and ordered him to stick to a strict curfew for six months.
Iqbal will not be able to leave his Nicol Street home between 9.30pm and 7am during this time.
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