AN ALLOA man who threw his pregnant partner out their house and smashed a glass table in a fit of rage claimed he would do the same again.

John Ward, 29, of Old Brewery Lane, appeared at Alloa Sheriff Court on Thursday, September 27 for sentencing, after previously pleading guilty to the charge of abusive behaviour.

The court heard Ward lost his temper after returning from a holiday, and discovering his now ex-partner had given her mother a key to their property while they were away.

The prosecutor said: "His partner left to go to her mother's house and returned back again and the front door was locked from the inside and the accused was refusing to give her access.

"The accused had been annoyed that she had given her mother keys to the house while they were away on holiday, apparently so she could feed their cats.

"She had been in the house without his permission."

Ward eventually let his partner back inside, then told her to pack her belongings and leave.

The fiscal said: "He was at this time shouting and swearing at her and trying to provoke her into an argument.

"His partner was trying to gather her belongings with the accused shouting, telling her to: 'f*****g hurry up and get out'.

"She went to remove a glass coffee table and the accused said: 'Where the f**k are you going with that? That's mine'."

He then grabbed the table and threw it against a wall, causing it to break.

Ward then seized his pregnant partner by the arms and pulled her out of their house – and while outside she contacted her mother, who phoned the police.

Officers attended the address and arrested Ward on suspicion of assault.

While on the way to the police station, Ward told police he "only smashed a table", then went on to claim he only tried to take the table off his partner, but it "dropped and smashed".

He was later cautioned and charged with abusive behaviour.

Ward, representing himself, did not dispute the fiscal's account of events, but told the court: "Any similar offence domestic was in 2009, and that was ten years ago."

Sheriff Derek Reekie quizzed Ward on his claim in a background report prepared for the court that he would "do the same again", asking: "You wouldn't act differently?"

Ward claimed he had only "escorted" his partner by the wrists to get her out of the property.

The Sheriff replied: "This is the way you treat a partner of a year and a half, who is pregnant? And you would do the same again?"

Ward left the Sheriff baffled after stating: "I don't see much violent about that."

He clarified that he did not believe his actions towards his partner were violent.

However, Sheriff Reekie disagreed, and deferred Ward's sentencing until October 18 to assess his suitability fort the Caledonian Men's Programme – which works with men convicted of violence towards female partners.