A dad-of-one brutally attacked his girlfriend and threatened to kill her before demanding she told police she had been mugged.
Andrew McCarry was originally charged with attempting to murder Ashleigh Mankin at in Inverurie on November 17, 2019.
However, he today admitted assaulting her to the danger of her life by punching, kicking and choking her.
The High Court in Glasgow heard that the 23-year-old told Miss Mankin to say she had been mugged, but she managed to whisper to a police officer “it was him”.
The court the couple had been in the pub but returned home at about 1am after an argument broke out.
Advocate depute Sheena Fraser, prosecuting, said: “On entering the house, the accused became angry and aggressive towards the complainer. He pushed her on a bed and repeatedly punched her on the head and face.”
McCarry continued to punch Miss Mankin and then grabbed her by the throat and pressed his thumbs into her windpipe, restricting her breathing.
The fiscal said that McCarry then kicked Miss Mankin on the head and shouted: “I’ll kill you. I’ll shut you up.”
She added: “The accused called 999 and said she had been mugged. He also instructed her to tell paramedics and police that she had been mugged.”
Miss Mankin had bruising and swelling to her face, particularly round her eyes, and multiple abrasions to her throat.
The court heard when officers arrived she was extremely distressed and was sobbing and hyperventilating.
The fiscal noted that she told a police officer: “It was him, but don’t let him hear me say that, he told me to tell the police that I had been mugged.”
Meanwhile, McCarry told another police officer his girlfriend had been assaulted by an unknown male as she walked alone on her way back from a night out in Inverurie.
A doctor said that some of the injuries were consistent with manual neck compression.
Ms Fraser added: “Compression of the neck in this manner has the potential to cause death and accordingly presents a danger to life.”
McCarry, who has previous convictions for violence, was originally charged with attempted murder, but his plea to the reduced charge was accepted by the Crown.
Judge Lord Arthurson remanded him in custody until sentencing next month and ordered background reports.
