Drunk lout beat up girlfriend in street
Attack followed argument over her ex-husband
A jealous brute battered his girlfriend in the street during a drunken attack, a court has been told.
Thug Kevin Ashcroft, 34, left partner Tracey Main bleeding from the mouth following a terrifying assault ,which took place at the town’s Dunn Street on April 21.
Paisley Sheriff Court heard Miss Main, c/o Police Scotland, even banged on doors and windows in the street and shouted for help from residents when she came under attack from the accused.
The incident happened after she and Ashcroft had been drinking at the Burgh Bar, in the town’s Glasgow Road, and had gone back to her flat - where all hell broke loose.
Fiscal depute Emma Jeffrey said: “The accused and complainer had been in a relationship for several years.
“They were drinking at the Burgh Bar and had gone back to the complainer’s address.
“There was an argument. The accused had suspicions that the ex-husband of the complainer was coming to pick her up.
“She told him that was not the case.
“He stormed out of the flat. She exited the common close and followed him and ran in the direction of the Burgh Bar, but did not enter.
“On the way back to her flat she observed the accused sitting on the pavement. He began shouting at her.
“He said ‘ You are a tart, a cow,’ and told her she was worth nothing.”
The court then heard witnesses at Dunn Street heard the victim shouting for help, and observed Ashcroft pushing her, causing her to fall to the ground.
Ms Jeffrey added: “The complainer was shouting for help. She was also banging on windows and doors. One witness saw she was crying and visibly upset.
“The accused was shouting and screaming at her. He pushed the complainer to the ground and began to strike her on the head.
“She continued to shout for help. She managed to get to her feet and into the common close.”
Cops arrived and noticed she was bleeding from the mouth, there was swelling on her face and her bottom lip was visibly swollen.
Ashcroft, of Williamson Place, Johnstone, pleaded guilty to assaulting his partner Miss Main by striking her on the head and body to her injury at Dunn Street as well as behaving in a threatening and abusive manner likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear and alarm by shouting at her.
Defence agent Bob Mitchell said: “Their relationship is at and end. It was a volatile relationship characterised by the parties drinking too much.
“Bail conditions prevent him from contacting the complainer. She has made attempts to contact him since.
“The accused has never behaved like this in the past. He has previous convictions but not for this.
“He has curtailed his drinking and realises this is a serious matter which could result in a custodial sentence.
“I would ask the court to find an alternative to custody as he has no history of this kind of offending and their relationship is at an end.”
Sheriff Susan Sinclair said she had considered that Ashcroft could be locked up.
She added: “This is a serious charge involving an assault and it strikes me as appropriate that you could receive a custodial sentence.
“However, when I looked at your record you have no convictions for violence so I will deal with this by imposing an alternative to custody.”
She handed Ashcroft a Community Payback Order lasting 12 months.
He will be subject to supervision by the social work department, attend alcohol or substance abuse counselling sessions and carry out 150 hours unpaid work within six months.