An Elgin man has been ordered to behave after a row with his ex-girlfriend about their dogs landed him in court.
Elgin Sheriff Court was told Steven Clark went to the woman’s house on October 6 this year and they spent the evening drinking.
The 36-year-old labourer had been in a relationship with his partner for three years but that night an argument broke out and Clark declared that the relationship was over.
Fiscal depute Naomi Duffy-Welsh said he gathered his belongings, along with the couple’s two dogs, and went to his mother’s house.
His now ex-partner, the court was told, sought out a friend at another address before going to find Clark at his mother’s house and turned up there at around 10pm.
Doorstep scuffle
Ms Duffy-Welsh said: “[Clark’s] mother answered the door and an argument between the two parties broke out.
“[The complainer] asked to get entry to get the dogs – and she had her foot in the door.”
The court then heard that there was some pushing on the woman’s part to get through the gap in the door and Clark stepped behind his mother to try to close it.
In the struggle, the woman’s head was pushed against the door and she suffered a 2cm cut above her eyebrow which later needed three stitches.
Clark pled guilty to one charge of culpable and reckless behaviour.
Ups and downs
Confirming the relationship was now at an end, Clark’s defence agent Steven Carty said they had always been “up and down” but this had been a “significant falling out”.
Mr Carty told the court that Clark was still in possession of the dogs and he never had any intention of harming his partner.
He said: “He was aware that his mother was having difficulties at the door and in fairness he was only trying to move his mother out of harm’s way.
“It is a rather unusual matter of facts, but he does accept them for what they are.”
Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov agreed it was not comparable to the “scale of Mr Clark’s usual domestic offending” and ordered Clark, of Meadow Crescent, to be of good behaviour for six month.
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