A Fochabers man has been placed under supervision after admitting attacking his ex-partner and ripping a piercing out of her nose.

Allan Burgess, 47, had previously denied any wrongdoing and claimed he had himself been a victim of abuse, but later changed his plea on the morning of a trial at Elgin Sheriff Court.

Appearing for sentencing, Burgess of Milne Road, Fochabers, carried out the assault in April last year.

Fiscal depute Victoria Silver said the couple had been on a night out and had returned home and continued drinking into the early hours of April 9.

“A verbal argument ensued,” Ms Silver went on. “The accused phoned the police to say he had been assaulted and had a watch thrown at him.”

However, Burgess ended the call and the police did not attend, the court heard.

Ms Silver continued: “The argument resumed. He grabbed her by the hair and pushed her to the floor.

“She tried to fend him off – and he began to struggle with her. He pulled her nose ring out of her nose, causing injury to the right side of her face.”

Victim ran to safety

The woman ran to her bedroom and heard Burgess packing a bag and him leaving the house, the court was told.

Ms Silver said: “When police attended her home, they noticed cuts under her right eye and she had a red scalp.”

Burgess went to police the next day, the court heard, displaying a cut to his eyebrow and scratches on his nose.

Burgess pled guilty to one charge of assault which read he had grabbed his partner by the hair, pushed her head towards the floor and pulled out her nose ring – all to her injury.

‘She started it’

His defence agent Stephen Carty said the pair had been drinking and an argument had broken out.

He said: “Items were thrown at his head. He does have a cut above his right eye. It had in essence been started by the complainer.

“There has been no contact between him, and the complainer and the relationship is absolutely at an end.”

Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov placed Burgess under supervision for six months.