A 50-year-old Nairn man abducted his partner after questioning her about being faithful to him.
As Mark Allsopp dropped Cynthia Reid off for work in the early hours, he pulled her back into his van, drove to a remote location and left her there.
But Inverness Sheriff Court was told that Allsopp of Church Street, regretted what he had done, returned to the spot, apologised to his 49 year old partner and drove her back to work.
However Ms Reid had already texted a friend to contact the police to say she had been kidnapped. Officers traced Allsopp at 5.30am, two hours after he removed Ms Reid against her will from the Sainsbury’s car park on April 17 last year.
He admitted the abduction and when he appeared for sentence after a background report had been prepared, he was placed on a community payback order.
Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald instructed him to carry out 110 hours of unpaid work, remain under social work supervision for a year and take part in a decision making skills programme.
Fiscal depute Niall Macdonald said: “Allsopp told police later ‘I don’t know what to say. I am sorry and I will get help.’
“Ms Reid said she was shaken up by the incident and was scared in the van.” Mr Macdonald added.
Defence solicitor Marc Dickson said: “Almost as soon as he had done it, he knew he had done the wrong thing. He bitterly regrets the way he behaved.”
Sheriff Macdonald told Allsopp: “You have a record for violence in the past and your ex-partner was upset and alarmed by this as well as being very frightened.”