A DRUNKEN father has been jailed for assaulting his partner while she was carrying their daughter.

Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard that Thomas Early had many previous convictions of a similar nature when he appeared for sentencing.

His own solicitor David McLoughlin said he needed to "grow up".

Early, 47, of Melville Street, Lochgelly, previously admitted that on June 25, 2018 at South Street, Lochgelly, he did assault his former partner, and did throw a can of drink at her which did strike her on the head whilst she was carrying his daughter, and he did behave in a threatening or abusive manner which was likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm in that he did repeatedly shout, swear, punch a window and cause damage to the same and punch a door and cause damage to the same.

Also, being an accused person, and having been granted bail, on June 26 on the condition he did not contact or approach his former partner, he did on August 19 did enter her address in Lochgelly, shout at her to open the door pursue her along two streets and on October 1 he did fail without reasonable excuse to comply with said condition and did approach and contact his former partner.

Depute fiscal, Alistair McDermid, explained that on June 25 the woman was walking along when she became aware of Early in a state of intoxication. He began shouting insults at her.

Later on, at around 6pm the woman was in her home with her daughter and they were preparing to cut the grass.

She then saw that Early had appeared on the path holding a beer in his right hand and a pack of beers in his left and appeared to be highly intoxicated.

He threw a can of beer on the ground and it splashed her.

The woman knew that her daughter had seen what had happened and was upset so went to get her daughter and headed towards her mother's.

Early appears to have left the scene at this time but then re-attended at the home at 9.15pm.

He was sitting on an external staircase asleep and woke up saying, "I will just sit here, I will just sit here".

After he shouted through the door calling his partner a "cow" and a "grass", he also kicked a window and door causing them to crack.

The woman than rang the police and in response to his arrest said he wanted his partner charged for assault because she "bit" him on the nose.

Mr McDermid said he did not have information regarding the cost of the damage caused.

David McLaughlin said: "These offences are getting long in the tooth and he needs to grow up.

"He has been in a relationship with this woman for 24 years and they have four children together."

Mr McLaughlin explained that the couple's behaviour often resulted in either one of them being injured and the matter coming before the Court.

"I'm asking the Court to look at some sort of drug treatment as Mr Early says he hopes he can get himself off drugs for good.

"He manages to have gaps of no offending for years but when he gets involved in drugs he ends up in Court."

Sheriff Craig McSherry said: "Throughout the years I have been trying to keep you out of prison but without much success."

The Sheriff imposed a 14-month jail sentence.