A court has heard how a man repeatedly slapped his wife of 15 years after seeing red in a row over dark clothing dye.
Dennis Meacham snapped during an argument at the couple’s Montrose home last November.
Depute fiscal Jill Drummond told Forfar Sheriff Court 64-year-old Meacham and his wife had a fall-out earlier when he was driving on the road to Aberdeen and she told him to slow down, and the accused believed she was “just picking on him”.
They returned home and she asked him to put on some washing, but when he also added dye to the dark load he was asked why he had done it and an argument broke out.
The couple began pushing each other and then the accused slapped her several times on the head.
Mrs Meacham went to her GP and said she had been assaulted by her husband.
She then decided to report the matter to police.
When questioned about the offence, Meacham, of St John’s Place, Montrose, told officers: “When I did lift my hands to her she said ‘thank you very much.’”
Defence solicitor Billy Rennie said his client felt his wife had continued to make comments to keep the argument going.
“They have lived separately since this but are in communication and things are amicable,” he added.
“He has two previous convictions of significant vintage,” he said.
“He is treading very carefully for the time being but there was, I would suggest, provocation in this case.”
Sheriff Pino Di Emidio deferred sentence on Meacham until June for him to be of good behaviour.