An Aberdeen couple have spent three nights behind bars after an early morning disagreement escalated into a street fight.
Donna Clark, 39, and 43-year-old Graeme Flood had been discussing their finances at his home on Girdlestone Place just after 6am on Thursday morning.
But the conversation became heated and the pair were seen outside “grappling” with each other shortly after.
Flood then made an offensive remark to a neighbour who had been woken up by the noise from outside.
Police ordered the couple, who have been in a relationship for four years, to stay apart until a court hearing in September.
But during a welfare check the next day, officers found them together again at the property.
Clark and Flood were held in custody over the weekend until they appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday.
They both admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner, and breaching an order prohibiting them from approaching or contacting one another.
Fiscal depute Lynne Macvicor said: “They were pushing, shoving and grappling with each other in the street.
“A neighbour continued to watch from the window and appeared to have made eye contact with them.
“Mr Flood entered the communal stairwell of the flats and attended at the door of the neighbour then began banging, kicking and shouting.
“The man who was inside did not open the door at any time, but observed through the spyhole.”
Flood also admitted this behaviour and making an offensive comment to the neighbour, which he perceived as homophobic.
Clark’s solicitor Kevin Longino explained that the mum-of-five had been living with Flood at the time of the incident.
He said the pair had “amicably” agreed that she could visit to collect some belongings before heading back to her home on North Balnagask Road.
Chris Maitland, representing Flood, said his client accepted his behaviour was “really unacceptable”.
He added that another man in the block of flats had shouted something at Flood around the time he made eye contact with a neighbour, causing him to wrongly assume who had been responsible.
Sheriff William Summers fined him £210 for shouting, swearing, uttering an offensive comment and acting aggressively towards the man.
But he noted that neither party had any “meaningful” previous convictions and both had already spent three nights in custody as a result of their actions.
Sheriff Summers admonished Clark and Flood of the remaining charges against them.
