A DUNFERMLINE man who repeatedly subjected his partner to sickening physical abuse has avoided a jail sentence.

Council worker Peter Morrison pushed his knuckle into the woman’s eye socket and later threatened to kill her.

Morrison, 51, of Mercer Place, appeared in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He admitted that on an occasion between September 1 and 30, 2018 at Park Road, Rosyth, he assaulted his partner by seizing her, pushing her on to a sofa and applying pressure to her head and eye socket.

He also admitted that between February 12 and May 24 this year at Castlandhill Road, Rosyth, he engaged in an abusive course of conduct towards his partner by pushing her on to a couch, applied pressure to her body using his elbow, applied pressure to her head and eye sockets using his hands, attempted to throw a phone at her, made offensive remarks during a phone conversation and through repeated text messages, shouted, swore and repeatedly made threats towards her, all to her injury.

Depute fiscal Mat Piskorz said the first assault came during an argument when he lunged at her, pressing a knuckle into her eye socket.

This resulted in the woman sustaining a black eye.

A similar assault took place on February 12 this year when he ran at her, pushed her on to a couch then dug his elbow into her and put his knuckles on her cheek and eye with force.

She managed to break free and ran into the bathroom screaming.

On May 14 he phoned her, shouting and swearing.

He said, “You f****** drive me to killing you.

"I’m going to rip your f****** head off when I get home.

"I’m not even joking so you better not be in the house.”

He later sent her a message saying he was going to have her sectioned and she eventually contacted the police.

Morrison had told a social worker that he had “snapped” during arguments.

Defence solicitor Roshni Joshi said her client has worked for the local authority for the past eight years and was a first offender.

Sheriff Alastair Brown told Morrison if was not for the fact he was a first offender he would heading to prison.

Instead, he imposed a community payback order with 200 hours of unpaid work.