A jealous Inverness man who beat up his girlfriend and poured a carton of milk over her head was ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid community work yesterday.
Steven Urquhart, of 14 Brown Street in the city, was given a year to complete the order by Sheriff Margaret Neilson.
Last month at Inverness Sheriff Court, the 42-year-old admitted punching Nadia Ebrehim on the face and kicking her on the body in her flat in Chattan Avenue in Inverness in February this year.
He also admitted resisting arrest and assaulting a policeman.
Sentence was deferred until yesterday for a background report.
The court heard that the pair had been in a relationship but split up in December 2014.
Fiscal Roderick Urquhart told the court they had reconciled shortly before this incident and had been chatting in her flat.
“While they were talking, she mentioned another man and Urquhart her of ‘fancying’ him.
“An argument started and she asked him to leave but instead he punched her on the side of her face, causing a cut and swelling.
“He then seized her and stuck her head against a wall, causing her to fall on the floor where he kicked her repeatedly on the body.
“She managed to phone the police and shouted help several times to try to alert neighbours before getting out of her house.
“She knocked on a neighbour’s door but Urquhart arrived and poured a carton of milk over her and pulled her by the hair.” The prosecutor added.
When police arrived, Urquhart became aggressive with constables and struggled with them before being placed in a police van where he kicked an officer on the chest.
Defence lawyer Willie Young said his client had been in a “turbulent and troubled relationship” with Ms Ebrehim who had a drug problem which he was trying to help her overcome.
“When she asked him for money, it became clear to him that it was for drugs and he lost his temper.”
Urquhart was also placed under supervision for 18 months.