A Fife abuser knelt over his partner and stabbed the mattress next to her head after she learned he had been sleeping with a Norwegian barmaid.
Ewan Morrison screamed he would kill the woman during the shocking incident at an address in Thornton.
On another occasion, after she confronted him about the other woman and ripped up his passport, he grabbed her round the neck and caused her to nearly lose consciousness.
She was left with a broken eye socket and needed surgical reconstruction following a further attack.
Morrison, of Rowan Terrace, Thornton, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to plead guilty to assaulting the woman on various occasions to her severe injury, permanent disfigurement and permanent impairment, between January 2009 and December 2014.
The 42-year-old also admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards her on various occasions between October 2010 and December 2014.
The offending took place at addresses in addresses in Thornton and elsewhere.
Knife terror
Prosecutor Sarah Smith told the court Morrison had been working abroad in April 2009 and returned home for two weeks.
The fiscal depute said his partner “had recently been made aware the accused was having an affair with a barmaid in Norway” and as an argument broke out, he pushed her onto a bed.
“He had a large kitchen knife in his hand.
“He knelt over her, screaming he was going to kill her whilst holding the knife above her head.
“He then stabbed the knife into the mattress at the side of her head.
“The woman was terrified.”
The fiscal depute said Morrison kept getting messages and phone calls from the woman in Norway.
Choked to near-unconsciousness
During his time home in May 2009, the pair went out with friends in Glenrothes.
At one point she answered the phone and the woman on the end of the line confirmed she had been sleeping with Morrison, the fiscal said.
She confronted him and he “laughed it off” and called her crazy, the court heard.
He then taunted her when they got home and asked if she wanted to see photos of the “gorgeous” lady from Norway.
The woman threw a glass and ripped up his passport so he could not return to Norway.
When he realised what she was doing, Morrison pushed her against a wall and put both hands round her neck and squeezed.
Ms Smith said: “She tried to fight back by digging her nails into his hand but quickly began feeling weak.
“She started to slide down the wall and her vision darkened and she almost lost consciousness.”
The woman managed to crawl to the bathroom and lock the door while gasping for breath.
The attack left her with black and purple bruising on her neck.
Broke eye socket and thumb in attacks
The court heard Morrison punched the woman’s head on another occasion in 2012, leaving her with swelling to the right side of her face and a fractured eye socket.
Surgical reconstruction under general anaesthetic included screws and metal plates being inserted in her right cheek area.
In 2014, Morrison told the woman she was “damaged goods” and he wished she was dead.
The fiscal said: “He threw her onto the floor in the hall and punched her numerous times to the arms and body.
“She curled up to protect herself and he continued to punch and kick her with his bare feet.”
She needed surgery to fix a fractured left thumb.
Ms Smith said as a result of the attacks, the woman has a scarred face and thumb, which has permanently limited ability.
The court heard Morrison has a previous domestic abuse conviction and he was warned he could be jailed when he returns to court for sentencing next month. Bail was continued.
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