A woman had a large clump of hair ripped from her scalp when her boyfriend trapped it in a door during a drunken rage.
Company director Myles Ridyard, 33, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted dragging his former partner through a door after losing his temper.
As the door closed behind her, the woman’s hair got caught and a “large clump” was pulled from her scalp.
Ridyard then shoved the woman to the floor, causing her to strike her face.
All of those allegations have now been dropped and Ridyard pleaded guilty to one charge of assault.
Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson told the court that at the time the couple lived together in Aberdeen and had been dating for around six months before this incident.
She said that on January 11 2019, the couple met at a pub where the woman considered Ridyard to be drunk and an argument ensued.
‘He then slammed the door’
“The accused left to walk home and the complainer followed a short time later,” Ms Simpson said.
“When she arrived home she found the door was locked so she rang the bell for the accused to let her in.
“He opened the door in what she perceived to be ‘a rage’.
“The accused then seized her by the body and dragged her through the open door into the hallway.
“He then slammed the door, causing the complainer’s hair to become trapped in the now closed door.
‘A large clump of her hair was pulled from her scalp’
“She moved forward and a large clump of her hair was pulled from her scalp.
“The accused then pushed her, face down, to the floor, causing her to strike her face as she fell.”
Ms Simpson told the court that the woman repeatedly asked Ridyard if she could use his phone to call the police, to which he told her “it was his house and that she had to leave”.
She saw Ridyard’s phone on the kitchen worktop, which she took and hid in her skirt.
The woman then ran from the property and called police.
Upon being examined by a forensic physician the following day, it was discovered that she had a 6cm by 3cm bald patch on her head.
She also had 2cm bruise on her left eye, swelling around the jaw and bruising on her right eyelid and nose.
‘He behaved inappropriately’
Defence agent Lynn Bentley told the court that her client, who is the director of MER Engineering in Newtonhill, gave an explanation to the police about what happened, which “differs” from the victim.
Ms Bentley said Ridyard believed the “woman was drunk” and had been “hammering” at his door.
“He went to the door and he wasn’t happy – that’s when the assault took place,” she said.
“Mr Ridyard accepts that he assaulted her and he behaved inappropriately to her, but they were both under the influence of alcohol.
“He has tried to behave responsibly since this incident and he feels he’s now better at dealing with his emotions.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told Ridyard: “You pled guilty at an early stage and you have been of good behaviour since this incident.”
She sentenced Ridyard, of Calsayseat Road, Aberdeen, to a community payback order with supervision for 12 months and ordered him to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.
The sheriff also made Ridyard subject to a non-harassment order, meaning he cannot approach or contact the woman for one year.
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