Thug is jailed for attack on partner
Witness saw victim dragged into house by the hair
A Mother’s Day treat for his partner turned into a vicious assault which landed a Stirling man in court this week.
Andrew Valentine, 24, chased his terrified girlfriend down the street in her pyjamas when she fled their home to escape a beating.
But she returned to check on the welfare of their baby son - and was dragged by the hair into the house.
A concerned neighbour who witnessed the assault on March 6 called police, and Valentine begged his lover to tell officers they had been playing a game of tig.
She refused to co-operate with police at first, but Valentine was charged on the evidence given by the neighbour.
On Wednesday (April 20), Valentine, of Maurice Avenue, pleaded guilty to assaulting his partner.
The court heard that Valentine had planned to give his girlfriend a break for Mother’s Day, by looking after their baby.
But at around noon they had an argument, during which he accused her of cheating.
When she stated that she was leaving him, he said she wasn’t taking the baby. Fearing he was going to be violent, she left the property and ran off down the road, still in her pyjamas.
Valentine ran after her, but didn’t manage to catch up, and returned home where their baby was sleeping in a moses basket.
When his girlfriend came back, the door was locked and she had to knock to get in.
A witness who had watched the fracas unfold saw Valentine open the door and grab his partner by the hair, dragging her downwards as he pulled her into the house. Then Valentine shut the curtains, and the witness contacted police.
Fiscal depute Emma Jeffrey said: “The complainer had been screaming and reached the bedroom just as police arrived.
“She states that he begged her to tell police they’d been playing tig. The complainer was upset and dishevelled when officers saw her, and the accused was detained on suspicion of assault.”
The court heard Valentine had served time in prison in 2015 for assault to injury - when the victim had also been his girlfriend. Women’s Aid had sent a letter to the Crown, asking for a non-harassment order preventing him from contacting his partner, who had been assessed as being at serious risk of harm.
But defence solicitor Frazer McCready said Valentine had received a letter from his partner while he was remanded in Low Moss Prison, indicating she wanted their relationship to continue.
He said: “It was Mother’s Day and Mr Valentine was planning on giving the complainer some time to herself but unfortunately that didn’t happen.”
Sheriff William Gilchrist said: “This was a nasty assault and I am satisfied custody is the only disposal.”
He sentenced Valentine to six months in prison, backdated to March 7, and issued a non-harassment order for him not to contact or communicate with his victim for 12 months, except in the context of Children’s Hearing proceedings.