ARBROATH MAN AVOIDS JAIL AFTER VICIOUS ASSAULT ON PARTNER
A first-time Angus domestic offender, John Gunn, avoided jail after a judge criticized his actions as a "very nasty" attack on his partner.Gunn, who resides on Priory Crescent, Arbroath, admitted to assaulting his partner at their home on July 28 of the same year after returning home intoxicated from a party.
The court heard that Gunn pulled the woman by her hair, dragged her to the ground, and delivered several blows to her face, which left her crying and begging him to stop.
His victim managed to flee into the street, but Gunn followed her, shouting abuse, before running off when neighbors intervened.
Police found the woman crying hysterically with blood streaming down her face, and she was taken to Ninewells hospital, where injuries including bruising and a bump to her head were confirmed.
Gunn expressed a troubling justification for his behavior, saying, “What would you be doing if you found out your girlfriend was texting another boy, you wouldn’t be happy.” During sentencing at Forfar Sheriff Court, Deputy Fiscal Jill Drummond told the court that Gunn and his partner had been together for six years, but on the night of the assault, Gunn had been out alone and was found to be angry and drunk.
The sheriff condemned the assault as a domestic violence crime and warned Gunn of the seriousness of his actions.
Despite having no previous convictions or record of domestic incidents, the sheriff imposed a community payback order instead of prison, requiring Gunn to complete 12 months’ supervision and 110 hours of unpaid work within six months.
