A man who “administered a serious beating” to his girlfriend, using his leg to choke her as she lay on the ground before punching her in the face, has been jailed for a year.
Garry McCusker attacked Kerry Mackay at an address in Dundee’s Liff Crescent last year.
He forced his then girlfriend to the ground before using his leg to “restrict her breathing”.
McCusker then punched her in the face, leaving her injured.
But during his trial he claimed her injuries were caused by him falling on her.
A sheriff branded that explanation “inconceivable” and said McCusker had lied at trial and to social workers compiling pre-sentencing reports.
McCusker, 26, of Hilltown, Dundee, had denied a charge of assault to injury on summary complaint at Dundee Sheriff Court.
But he was found guilty after a trial last month over the incident, which took place on May 16 last year.
Ross Bennett, defending, said: “He has a very limited record.”
Sheriff Alastair Brown jailed McCusker for a year.
He said: “People who hit other people have to expect the court to take that seriously. Men who hit their girlfriends have to expect the courts to treat that very seriously.
“You administered a serious beating to that young woman and the photos make that clear.
“You used your leg to compress her neck and restrict her breathing and I find it surprising that has been prosecuted on summary complaint. The only appropriate sentence is imprisonment.”