Wick man jailed after headbutting partner
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A Wick man has been jailed for eight months for an assault on his partner described by the sheriff as 'disgraceful'.
Danny Smith grabbed Frances Watt's phone and headbutted her. She was concerned about his self-harming and was trying to get help for him.
Smith (23) admitted the assault which occurred on February 22 and a record. He was originally charged on indictment but that was downgraded to a lower level.
Sheriff Andrew Berry later queried the fact that Miss Watt had been in telephone contact with the accused while he was on remand in Porterfield Prison, Inverness.
Wick Sheriff Court was told on Tuesday that Ms Watt was walking along the town's Macrae Street, the couple’s address, when the accused caught up with her, grabbed her mobile while she was speaking to the police, and headbutted her causing her nose to bleed, although she declined medical assistance.
Smith was arrested and gave officers a "no comment" interview. He was subsequently remanded in custody.
Solicitor Fiona Macdonald said that Smith had been drinking and had "very little recollection" of the incident. She added that Smith was realistic about the sentence he was about to receive, given his record, and wished to have the matter dealt with immediately.
It was then that Miss MacDonald revealed that Miss Watt had been in telephone contact with Smith regarding her position on whether the accused should be made subject to a non-harassment order.
Sheriff Berry said: “Am I right in thinking that the prison service allowed telephone contact?”
Miss MacDonald: “That is the information that I have been given.”
Sheriff Berry went on: "I have no doubt that this was not allowed as a matter of course. There might be compelling reasons for it in this particular case. I make the comment as a general observation, not as a criticism. It may well be there was a particular set of circumstances in which telephone contact was allowed."
Miss MacDonald said that Smith had been told not to have any contact with Miss Watt but added that such a call would have been monitored by the prison authorities to ensure that nothing inappropriate was said.
Sheriff Berry said: "Yes, absolutely. I repeat, it is not a criticism of the Scottish Prison Service who do a sterling job on behalf of the general public."
Fiscal David Barclay said that Ms Watt wished to have contact with Smith as there might be a prospect of rekindling their two-year relationship.
The sheriff said he would not impose a non-harassment order and backdated Smith’s sentence to February 23 when he was remanded.
