Brute bit partner's lip during assault

After attacking his victim and leaving her in a distressed state Alan Learmonth (42) then stole £85 from her.

The thug took exception to the woman going on a night out and locked her out of the house before letting her in the next day and carrying out his violent offence.

Appearing at Falkirk Sheriff Court last Thursday, Learmonth previously admitted the assault and theft he committed in Cadzow Avenue, Bo’ness, on December 27 last year.

Procurator fiscal depute Siobhan Monks said: “The complainer had been with the accused for a year. She had been on a night out and there had been a bit of an argument before she went out.

“He didn’t want her to go out that night. He texted her a few times asking when she was going to come home. She ignored him. He was home looking after his child.

“She got home at 3.30am and tried to unlock the door, but the accused had left his key in the lock and she couldn’t get in. Rather than wake the child she went to her parents’ house nearby.

“At 9am she went back to house she shared with the accused. The door was still locked so she had to knock. She went into the living room and he followed her, pushing her on the arm and causing her to fall onto the couch.

“The accused then took her mobile phone when she tried to make a call so she went to the land line to contact her father. The accused pushed her again, causing her to fall, but she had managed to call her father at this point.

“She tried to get up but was pushed back down again. She managed to get up and he pinned her against the wall, biting her lip. He did this for five seconds and broke the skin, causing the lip to bleed.

“Her father came round at that point and asked the accused to leave and he did so. He saw the injury to his daughter and called the police.”

The woman later checked her purse and found that £85 had been taken from it and she assumed it must have been taken by Learmonth before he left the house.

Learmonth told police he had an argument with his partner and admitted he did push her. He agreed he might have bit her.

Sheriff Derek Livingston placed Learmonth, 21 Cadzow Avenue, Bo’ness, on a supervised community payback order for two years with the condition he attend the Caledonian Project for domestic abuse counselling.

Learmonth was also made subject to a non-harassment not to approach or contact his former partner directly and not to enter her property in Cadzow Avenue for a period of two years.