SHAMED...BUT HE CAN ONLY BE JAILED FOR ONE MONTH
Ron Moore
A lout battered his girlfriend into unconsciousness and snapped pictures of her as she was out cold, a court was told.
Cowardly Matthew Ryan, 26, got only ONE month in jail after subjecting Ashley McKee to a frenzied attack in front of a three-year-old child at a house in Renfrew.
The cheating thug exploded in
violence after Ms McKee warned she was putting evidence of his playing around with another woman on Facebook.
Paisley Sheriff Court h e a rd Ryan, who appeared from custody, stormed into the property in Renfrew on March 27, and rained punches and kicks on the victim, causing her to fall to the floor.
And as she lay on the floor, he pinned her down and repeatedly punched her to the head and body, until she lost consciousness.
The yob then whipped out his mobile phone and took pictures of Ms McKee as she lay knocked out on the living room floor.
Fiscal depute Colin Wilson said: “The accused entered the flat, ran up the single flight of stairs, and began assaulting her.
“He punched her about the head causing her to stumble backwards in the living room where a three-year-old child was playing.
“He continued the assault, kicking her about the body. She was lying on the floor and put her hands up to try to protect her head.”
The court heard he wrenched a tablet device from the child and hurled it against the wall.
The toddler fled in distress from the room.
Ryan then continued the assault, pushing Ms McKee onto a sofa and then onto the floor where he pummelled her face and head.
The fiscal added: “After he pulled her from the couch she fell to the floor where he pinned her to the ground.
“He punched her repeatedly about the head.
“This caused her to lose consciousness.
“When she regained consciousness she noticed he was taking pictures on a mobile phone.
“The pictures he took were of her.”
The lout then wrecked the flat, smashing up a coffee table, a TV set, and even struck her on the shoulder with a freestanding lamp.
The fiscal said: “The accused also made threats that he was going to stab Ms McKee and a threeyear-old child.
“She heard him rummaging around in the kitchen and looking for a knife after making that threat.”
Ryan admitted a charge of assaulting his former partner by repeatedly punching her, causing her to fall to the floor, repeatedly kicking her on the body, repeatedly punching her on the body, pinning her to the floor, and repeatedly punching to the head rendering her unconscious – all to her severe injury.
He also pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening and abusive manner which was likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm in that he acted in an aggressive manner and did shout, swear and damage items of furniture and ornaments as well as uttering threats of violence.
Defence agent Ms Ryan said: “There were difficulties in the relationship with the complainer.
“He had been having contact with another female.
“Ms McKee had seen the messages and was going to put them on Facebook.
“He felt it was going to humiliate him. He accepts he behaved in the manner libelled and has pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.”
Sheriff Seith Ireland expressed concern over his weak sentencing powers because Ryan, who was first prosecuted at solemn level, had the charges reduced to summary level in a deal with the prosecution.
Sheriff Ireland said: “This is a very anxious case and a particularly serious incident.
“But in effect my hands are tied, and somewhat limited, because in the prosection of this matter the Crown has decided to reduce from a petition to summary procedure.
“That carries a maximum penalty of only 12 months in prison.
“Respectfully, the offences as serious as these fall into the highest level of offending.
“However, you are entitled to a reduction because of your plea of guilty at the earliest opportunity, and the maximum discount of one third should be allowed.
“Taking the time you have spent on remand, that is three and a half months, is equivalent to a seven-month sentence.
“Accordingly, the only sentence I can impose is one month imprisonment.
“No other disposal is appropriate.”