A MAN who repeatedly punched his partner in the face and threatened to stab her claimed it was because she asked him to stop playing a video game.

Mason Sharp pleaded guilty to attacking his then partner at a property in Alexandria, and his defence solicitor alleged she was “jealous”.

But a sheriff said she wasn’t convinced that helped his case for leniency.

Sharp, 27, was at home with the woman around 7am on March 25 this year along with two children, one aged nine, the other six months.

Fiscal depute David Gallagher said there was an argument about him playing video games and Sharp became irate.

His partner moved upstairs to check the nine-year-old was getting ready for school and in an attempt to defuse the situation.

But Sharp shouted “you’re not taking” the infant and followed his partner into the child’s bedroom, striking her with a clenched fist to the face.

Sharp was heard calling her a “whore” and “scumbag” repeatedly as he struck her to the face.

The child also heard him say: “I’m going to stab you”.

Police attended at 9.45am and arrested Sharp.

Mr Gallagher said the couple had been together for two years and there was no prospect of them being reconciled after the incident.

Defence solicitor Brian McGuire told Sheriff Frances McCartney that his client had never been in trouble before and was “embarrassed to say the least” about his behaviour.

He said: “He was in the wrong and he fully accepts that. This was a relationship that never should have started in the first place.

“Clearly it was a volatile relationship. There was a jealousy displayed by the [victim]. He plays games.”

Sheriff McCartney interrupted and said: “I’m not really sure that’s going to assist. I’m not sure it assists your client.”

Mr McGuire said: “He was playing games with a person in another country. He obviously lost his temper. He realises the relationship was in error, on his part at least.”

Sheriff McCartney said it was a serious crime, made more so because it had been witnessed by a child, and there was “no reason and no justification whatsoever” for how Sharp had behaved.

She imposed a community payback order with social work supervision for 18 months.

Sharp, now of Whitefield Road, Glasgow, must do 200 hours of unpaid work in the community in that time and his progress will be reviewed in six months.

A non-harassment order was imposed to protect the woman and child for the next three years.