Glenrothes man jailed for vicious assault on partner

A Glenrothes man has been jailed for 20 months for a violent assault on his partner in which he repeatedly choked her and left her covered in blood.

James Baird, 29, was drunk when he accused Jordan McKenzie of having an affair before launching a vicious attack on her in her flat on Canmore Road.

Sheriff Craig McSherry said Baird was fortunate not be facing an attempted murder charge when he admitted the offence at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He had pushed Miss McKenzie on to a couch, pinned her to the ground, repeatedly seized her by the throat and repeatedly restricted her breathing.

The attack happened on October 8 and left Miss McKenzie injured.

The court was told Baird had served a custodial sentence for domestic offences against previous partners.

Depute fiscal Alex Piper said the couple had been in a pub together before the incident.

“He put both his hands around her neck and started choking her,” he said. “She tried to scream but couldn’t because he was choking her. He would choke her, release his grip then choke again.”

Mr Piper said Miss McKenzie tried to fight back and ran to a balcony to shout for help.

Baird, a prisoner at Perth, took her phone so she could not call the police but she managed to run out after trying to hit him with a lamp.

Defence solicitor Michelle Renton said: “The clear difficulty is when he consumes alcohol, pretty much anything can happen.

“His recollection of the incident is hazy and both of them ended up in A&E.”