A Scandinavian academic studying in Aberdeen has been fined for dragging his girlfriend off the street during a drunken row.
Andreas Fjellstad and his partner Melina Nummi went out drinking in the city centre on Saturday night and returned to their flat in Wallfield Place.
But Fjellstad launched an angry tirade at Ms Nummi when she sat on the pavement outside the block of flats and refused to move.
The 31-year-old then began to drag his girlfriend through the communal entrance to the building.
Yesterday Fjellstad appeared at the city’s sheriff court and admitted shouting and swearing at his girlfriend before trying to punch his neighbour, Emma Russell, who stepped in to help.
The court heard Ms Russell had tried to break up the argument in the early hours of Sunday.
Fiscal depute Cheryl Clark said: “Neighbours were alerted by loud banging on the street. When they looked out they saw the accused shouting ‘get up the stairs’.
“He shouted this repeatedly before dragging her through the communal doorway.”
Fjellstad, who recently completed a Phd in philosophy at Aberdeen University, has lived in the city for five years and is due to take up a university research post in Helsinki in two months’ time.
Representing the academic, solicitor Shane Campbell said: “Both the accused and his partner had been in the city centre and had consumed a considerable amount of alcohol during Saturday evening.
“The accused’s recollection is that Ms Nummi was so intoxicated she sat down on the pavement outside the communal door of the building. He was trying to get her up and into the building.
“He became somewhat exasperated, lost patience and began shouting at the complainer and trying to get her to her feet and into the property.
“The neighbours came out to see what was going on. The accused was still trying to get the complainer into the property for her own protection.”
Sheriff Malcolm Garden fined Fjellstad a total of £500.