A 37-year-old man, who assaulted a pregnant woman, has been jailed.

Gary Marshall, previously of Castle Avenue, Crosshill, and recently staying at the James Bank Hostel in Dunfermline, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court to be sentenced for various offences going back to 2020.

In his most recent crime, he pulled the woman's hair, poked her in the eye and held her down on a bed. He told police afterwards that he wanted kill her, the court heard.

He also punched her on a previous occasion and, in another incident, he caused a disturbance on a bus when he was told he could not smoke.

Marshall had previously admitted the series of offences.

On March 17 this year at Castle Avenue, he assaulted the woman, then pregnant, by pulling her hair, seizing her by the body, poked her eye and held down on a bed, all to her injury.

On November 18 last year at Ferrytoll park and ride, Inverkeithing, he shouted, swore and acted in an aggressive manner.

On October21, 2021 at Castle Avenue he assaulted the woman by punching her on the head to her injury.

On August 1, 2020 at Union Street, Glasgow, he was unlawfully in possession of an offensive weapon, a wooden baton.

The explanation given for the last matter by defence solicitor Christopher Large was that Marshall had picked up a plank of wood and was “training for the Highland Games caber tossing”.

Marshall had been given community-based disposals but had breached these orders.

Sheriff William Gilchrist also noted that Marshall turned up for one of his social work appointments after drinking a bottle of wine.

He jailed Marshall for 10 months.