Domestic abuse victim found 'distressed and crying'
Ally McGilvray • Published 14 Sep 2010 14:36
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A MAN with a history of domestic abuse pushed his wife during a drunken argument and then told police: "She is the one who will be saying sorry."
Fifty-year-old Joseph Boyd had been sharing a bottle with Mrs Boyd when a row erupted and she retired to the bedroom at the home they share in Back Row, Selkirk.
However, when she returned to the living room to pick up her mobile phone later that evening, he pushed her against a wall causing her to strike her mouth - leaving her with a cut and swelling on her upper lip.
Selkirk Sheriff Court this week heard Mrs Boyd called police who found her "distressed and crying". However, when officers questioned Mr Boyd over the attack on Saturday, he said: "She was volatile and highly strung and she was always doing that to him."
The court heard the couple, who married two years ago, had been together for 11 years and had a history of violence.
Mr Boyd's solicitor, Heather Stewart, claimed her client had been provoked. She said: "He claims that she hit him twice with an empty bottle in the lead up to the incident."
Sheriff Kevin Drummond deferred sentence on Mr Boyd for six months and warned him of the consequences of reoffending. Passing sentence, he told him: "You are not the first couple to have a disagreement and you will not be the last, but not everyone has four previous convictions for breach of the peace."
Mr Boyd is due to return to court to check there has been no repeat of his behaviour on March 14.
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