A ROSYTH man has been jailed for assaulting a woman he was already banned from meeting.

Christopher Jones had been put on a non-harassment order to protect his former partner but, in a drunken state, he spotted her.

After telling the woman initially he loved her, he then assaulted her.

Jones, 49, of McGrigor Road, appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He admitted that on August 28, at Hilton Road, Rosyth, he assaulted his former partner by pushing her repeatedly on the body, causing her to fall to the ground repeatedly.

He also breached a non-harassment order banning him from contacting her.

Depute fiscal Amy Robertson said that, at 12.25am, a friend of the woman had gone outside for a smoke when Jones appeared. His partner then came outside and Jones shouted at her: “I love you.”

She responded: “I don’t want anything to do with you. Just leave me alone.”

Jones then approached the woman and pushed her to the chest, causing her to fall and graze her elbow.

She got up but was pushed back down before slapping him.

Police were contacted and officers arrived to find Jones in an intoxicated state.

Defence solicitor Christopher Large said: “This was not a premeditated breach of the order. They live close to each other currently but he plans to move from Rosyth.

“He’d had five or six pints at a pub and this clouded his ability to make good decisions. Words were exchanged and he lost his temper, pushing her over.

“He was then accosted by two of her friends and the next thing he remembers is being picked up by the police.”

Sheriff Wylie Robertson told Jones: “You have a bad record.” He jailed him for eight months and imposed a new non-harassment order for three years.