A WOMAN was viciously attacked by her partner twice in a week, shortly after they moved to a house in Ballingry.

The victim was throttled and dragged around the house by the hair by Michael Boost.

The violence led to Boost, 23, now of Woodburn Road, Dalkeith, appearing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He admitted that on 30th June at an address in Kirktoun Gardens, Ballingry, he assaulted his partner, by pushing her against a fridge, placing his arm around her neck, compressed it and seized her by the neck.

He also admitted that on July 4, at the same address, he assaulted his partner by repeatedly pushing her on the body, causing her to fall to the ground, repeatedly restrained her on the ground, caused her to strike her head against a radiator, placed his arm around her neck and compressed it whilst making threats to kill her, seized and pulled her by the hair and threw a pram at her, striking her on the body, all to her injury.

Depute fiscal, Jade Doig, said the couple had been in a relationship since last September and had only moved to Ballingry a fortnight before the first offence.

“It seems they had a shared mobile phone and the accused saw a photo on it of a male in his boxer shorts. This was her ex-partner and an argument started.

“The accused started shouting at her and she slapped him. He pushed her against the fridge then went behind her and put his arm around her neck.

“She described him as strangling her. He then grabbed her throat with one hand before letting her go and things eventually calmed down.”

However, just days later there was another brutal attack after the woman told him their relationship was over.

“He threw her to the ground and when she tried to get up he kept pushing her down. She hit her head off a radiator. He lay on the ground and grabbed her from behind. She felt she couldn’t breathe,” said the depute.

“She pushed him off but he took hold of her hair and began to drag her around the living room with her hair.

“He then picked up a children’s pram and threw it at her striking her on the shoulder.”

Police officers found the victim with carpet burns and bruises on her elbows and she had lost a substantial amount of hair as a result of being dragged.

Defence solicitor, Elaine Buist, said, “He feels he’s never had support and that’s why he’s struggled.”

Sheriff Charles MacNair imposed a community payback order with three years’ supervision, 300 hours of unpaid work and £600 compensation to the victim.