Perth man jailed for attack on girlfriend

Oct 13 2009 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

A PERTH businessman who subjected his girlfriend to a violent attack after an argument in his flat was jailed for 15 months at the Sheriff Court yesterday.

The court was told that the 29-year-old woman thought she was “going to die” after 40-year-old Nicholas Mark Grant grabbed her by the throat.

He had earlier repeatedly struck her on the head with a training shoe after she threw a glass at him.

The 7am bust-up at his house in Rose Crescent happened after he went downstairs and brought her a sandwich and a glass of juice.

But Advocate Ronnie Renucci said that the female, who was said to have a “long-standing alcohol problem”, wanted wine.

After the attack, she ran upstairs and locked herself in the bathroom before escaping out of the first floor window and dropping onto the ground below.

She then fled to a neighbour’s who called the police and the ambulance.

She had a bump to her head after being hit by the trainer but depute fiscal Charmaine Cole said that Grant had gripped her with sufficient force and for sufficiently long to leave marks around her neck.

Grant pled guilty to a much reduced charge of assault, which took place on May 2 this year.

Part of the charge which alleged that he assaulted the woman to her injury and to the danger of her life were deleted.

An allegation that he had thrown drawers at her, which struck her on the head and body, was also removed.

He also had a not guilty plea to a second charge of abducting the female by dragging her upstairs by the hair and into a bedroom and detaining her there against her will accepted by the prosecution.

Mr Renucci said that shortly before the incident the complainer had taken out a loan in her own name but had given Mr Grant’ address.

That had “concerned him” and had caused some of the friction.

Part of the argument that morning was caused after he had asked her to leave the house and her bag had been packed.

Mr Renucci added: “He accepts that his behaviour was inexcusable and he deeply regrets his actions. He just lost his temper.”

Imposing the jail term, Sheriff Robert McCreadie said that it must have been a “frightening” experience for the woman and it was “perhaps not surprising” that she thought she was going to die.

Grant, who admitted previous convictions, had his sentence backdated to May 5, when he was remanded in custody.