A drunken thug bit a woman’s ear, punched her head and covered her mouth and nose with his hand during a savage beating.
Ian Turner’s victim flagged down police on the street and went to hospital the next day, complaining of headaches and vomiting.
Turner, 26, appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court by video link to prison to plead guilty to the domestic assault to injury at an address in Dunfermline on March 11 this year.
Pinned to ground
Prosecutor Jamie Hilland told the court Turner and the woman had been in a relationship.
They had been drinking alcohol together at Turner’s flat and the woman has some gaps in her memory as a result.
At some point during the evening an argument broke out and Turner sat on top of her on the floor, pinning her arms to her sides.
The fiscal depute said: “He covered her mouth and nose with his hand.
“He started punching her to the face and body.
“While she was on the ground he bit her to the left ear.”
Mr Hilland said the woman managed to get one of her arms free and punched Turner on the mouth, got up and fled the house.
She later flagged down a police vehicle and was said to be intoxicated and upset, with blood around her left ear and in her hair, as well as dried blood in her nostrils.
She said she had been assaulted by her boyfriend.
Injuries
The woman attended Victoria Hospital at around 2.50am but discharged herself against medical advice, prior to being examined.
The fiscal depute said that around 1.30pm that day she went back to hospital.
“She was complaining of headaches, trouble opening her mouth and pain to the right side of her chest.
“She reported that she had vomited once.”
The woman was found to have suffered injuries including swelling and bruising to her ears and her right cheek bone.
She was discharged from hospital with painkillers and head injury advice and later developed swelling and bruising to her temple.
Violent past crimes
Defence lawyer Yvonne McKenna said Turner accepts he has a record for domestic violence, predominantly when he has been drinking alcohol.
She said he recalled some sort of argument which escalated.
Ms McKenna said Turner had most recently been convicted in the High Court and was returned to prison in June this year in relation to that sentence.
Sheriff Grant McCulloch told him: “Your offending over the years has been pretty violent.
“It contains a large number of domestic incidents, some with weapons, others not.
“In this case, other than your fists no weapon was used but it’s a pretty disgraceful incident”.
Sheriff McCulloch jailed Turner for three years and banned him from contacting his victim for five years.
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