A WOMAN was knocked unconscious after being pushed to the floor by a man during a late-night commotion in a Dunfermline pizza shop.

Steven Taylor only became involved when his wife was also knocked over by two women who were fighting in the take-away.

After his intervention he was then beaten up by other men, Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard.

In the dock was Taylor, 35, of Granville Way, Rosyth.

He admitted that on July 21 last year at Pizza Boy, Carnegie Drive, he assaulted a woman by pushing her on the body, causing her to fall to the ground and as a result she lost consciousness, all to her injury.

Depute fiscal Laura McManus said the incident occurred at around 2.30am.

Taylor and his wife had been out in Dunfermline socialising and went to the pizza take-away shop.

She went on: “His wife was knocked to the ground during an incident. He helped her to her feet. The woman involved then began arguing with his wife.

“The accused then pushed the woman and she fell to the ground. She was knocked unconscious for around five minutes and the accused had made off by then.

“She was taken to the Victoria Hospital, where she was treated for concussion and a graze to the head.”

He later told police: “I was only defending my wife in the pizza shop.”

Defence solicitor James Moncrieff said: “He was waiting to order a pizza when two other females became involved in an altercation.

"During this, his wife was inadvertently knocked to the ground.

“She was dazed and on the floor for about five minutes. The woman involved in the incident then came back and made comments to his wife.

"He is extremely remorseful and ashamed about becoming involved.

“He was then accosted by other males and was injured and his clothes ripped when the police spoke to him.”

Sheriff Alastair Brown imposed a community payback order with 180 hours of unpaid work.