A man who choked his partner and flung her onto a coffee table during a course of abusive behaviour has been spared jail.
Fabian Mattis had been living with his partner, but their relationship encountered problems when he suspected her of infidelity, Inverness Sheriff Court heard.
On one occasion he put his hands around her neck and squeezed and on another he grabbed her by the arm and propelled her onto the piece of furniture.
Mattis, 20, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court for sentencing having previously admitted engaging in a course of behaviour that was abusive of his partner between May 1 and September 17 of last year.
Fiscal depute Victoria Silver told the court that the couple had been in a relationship for two and a half years and were living together at an address in Inverness at the time of the offending.
Abuser suspected infidelity
She said the woman reported there had been “a number of arguments, due to him thinking that she was cheating on him but he had never previously been violent”.
However, in July of last year the pair had an argument and Mattis grabbed her wrist and then put his hands around her neck.
“She recalled the pressure increasing,” Ms Silver told Sheriff Sara Matheson.
The woman left the property but returned later because she was “concerned” about Mattis, at which point: “He refused to let her into the house. He has grabbed her and thrown her to the floor.”
In September of last year, the woman told Mattis the relationship was over – which he “refused to accept”, so she left their shared home to stay with her mother.
When she returned and again stated that the relationship was over an argument broke out, during which Mattis “grabbed her by the arm and flung her onto the coffee table”.
Defence solicitor David Patterson said there was “no intention to reconcile” and added: “He does understand his conduct was unacceptable.”
He added that his client, a first offender, “does accept that he has a lot to learn”.
‘What we have is effectively a strangling’
Sheriff Matheson commented: “What we have is effectively a strangling.”
She told Mattis: “I view this to be serious domestic offending, which is concerning in view of your young age.
“I am persuaded there is an alternative to imposing a custodial sentence.”
She placed Mattis on a community payback order with 225 hours of unpaid work in the community and social work supervision.
She included a programme requirement that he complete the Caledonian Men’s Programme telling him it was “to address your propensity for domestic offending”.
The sheriff also imposed a non-harassment order preventing Mattis, of Seaforth Road, Nairn, from approaching or contacting the complainer for 20 months.
