A pensioner who smashed a teapot over her husband’s head expressed her gratitude after avoiding punishment for the assault.

On Thursday (11 September) at Alloa Sheriff Court, Ruby Adam (69) was admonished in light of her good behaviour following the incident at her home in Clackmannan’s South Pilmuir Road on 2 January 2014.

When leaving the dock the 69-year-old said, “Thanks very much.” As reported in the Advertiser previously, Ruby’s hubby Eric Adam also ended up in the cells after the alcohol-fuelled squabble when he was stopped by police for driving under the influence when on his way to find out where the cops had taken his other half, after his head was patched up by paramedics.

Unbeknown to the 40-years-wed couple, they both spent the night in adjacent cells at Falkirk Police Station.

Eric was released at 9am on 3 January, while Ruby was taken to Alloa Sheriff Court where she pleaded guilty to assault and had her sentence deferred for good behaviour.

It wasn’t until she walked in the door after 11am that Eric found out where she had been.

Eric, who had held a clean driving licence since 1967, pleaded guilty to drink-driving after giving a breath sample which contained 84 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres, the legal limit being 35.

On 24 February he was banned from the roads for 13 months and fined £300.

Speaking from their home after Eric’s case, the couple said that they “couldn’t believe” that an argument had led to both of them spending the night in the cells and neither of them knowing the other was there.

They claimed the whole thing had “blown up over nothing.” Eric laughed as he said, “She banged me over the head with a teapot – it broke into a dozen bits.” Ruby noted, “It was a China teapot as well.” Eric added, “We have never been in trouble in our lives, this was a real shock.”