GLENROTHES MAN JAILED FOR VICIOUS DOMESTIC ASSAULT

A man from Glenrothes has been sentenced to 20 months in prison for a brutal assault on his partner, during which he repeatedly choked her and caused her to bleed. James Baird, aged 29, was intoxicated at the time he accused Jordan McKenzie of having an affair before launching the violent attack at her flat on Canmore Road. Sheriff Craig McSherry stated that Baird was lucky not to face an attempted murder charge when he admitted the offense in Dunfermline Sheriff Court. The court heard that Baird pushed Miss McKenzie onto a couch, pinned her down, and repeatedly seized her by the neck to restrict her breathing. The assault occurred on October 8 and left Miss McKenzie injured. It was also revealed that Baird had previously served time for domestic offenses against former partners. Depute fiscal Alex Piper recounted that the couple had been drinking together at a pub before the incident. “He put both his hands around her neck and started choking her,” said Mr Piper. “She tried to scream but couldn’t because he was choking her. He would choke her, then release, then choke again.” Miss McKenzie attempted to fight back, fleeing to a balcony to shout for help. Baird, currently imprisoned at Perth, took her phone to prevent her from calling police, but she managed to escape after trying to hit him with a lamp. Defence solicitor Michelle Renton said that Baird's memory of the event was hazy due to alcohol consumption, stating: “The clear difficulty is when he consumes alcohol, pretty much anything can happen. His recollection of the incident is hazy and both of them ended up in A&E.”