A MAN who launched an attack on his partner after suspecting she was taking drugs has been jailed for 35 weeks.

Dane George Paton (25), a prisoner at Perth, pulled the woman’s hair and bit her, and at one point seemed to be strangling her, Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard last Wednesday.

Paton admitted that on 16th March 2015 at an address in Burgh Court, Lochgelly, he assaulted his partner, repeatedly seized her by the hair, straddle her and bite her on the face, all to her injury; and at Burgh Court, without reasonable excuse, wilfully or recklessly destroyed or damaged property belonging to another and kicked two glass door panels, smashing them.

He further admitted that on 17th March 2015 at Burgh Court, he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner, shouted, swore and threw stones at a window.

He also pleaded guilty to breaching bail conditions, on both dates, not to approach or contact, or attempt to approach or contact his partner, or enter the address at Burgh Court. He committed all the offences while on bail. Fiscal depute, Azrah Yousaf, said that the woman had left Paton with their two young children, saying she was going to the shop and visit her mother.

The Court heard that around 1pm Paton went to a friend’s house and asked if she could look after the children, as he was going to look for his partner and suspected she was taking drugs.

Paton later returned with beer, which he and a friend consumed for most of the afternoon. Paton, the friend and the children then returned to Paton’s flat. His partner returned at 6pm and saw he had been drinking. She was unhappy and confronted him in the hallway of the flat.

Paton demanded to see her mobile phone and took it from her. She tried to get it back, but he then grabbed her by the hair from the back of her head.

Others in the living room came out to see them struggling and at one point “he seemed to be strangling her”. One of them intervened and prised him off the woman. Paton then seemed to bite his partner on the cheek.

The woman left and made her way down the stairs. People in the block of flats could hear her and Paton screaming, and he was seen to kick the glass panels of the rear security doors.

Police were called but when they arrived, Paton had left in somebody’s vehicle.

Officers saw his partner, who was upset and had a visible bite mark on her cheek. She was also complaining about having a sore head from having her hair pulled.

Around midnight on the same day, Paton’s partner called police to say he was outside causing a disturbance. She called again the next day informing them he was shouting, swearing and throwing stones at windows, which was also seen by others in the block.

Paton then made his way to the door and she saw him through the spyhole. His partner said she had called the police and that he wasn’t getting in. Police were called again and he was arrested.

In mitigation, solicitor, Alexander Flett, said Paton had a “limited schedule of convictions” and his “principal concern is the children in the relationship”.

Mr Flett continued, “The complainer is the mother of the children and has unfortunately descended back into a cycle of drug abuse.

“What sparked this incident was that she had returned to drug abuse. He hopes to put matters behind him and with the assistance of supervision, get his own accommodation and appropriate social care and get the children. He does not intend to resume the relationship.” Sentencing Paton to a total of 35 weeks in jail, Sheriff Simon Collins said, “You deliberately breached the conditions of bail, wilfully caused a breach of the peace and assaulted your partner to her injury.”