A thug was jailed after he knocked out his partner during an early morning drinking session before spitting in the face of a police officer.
Jealous Andrew Mitchell thumped the woman in a flat on Dundee’s Balbeggie Street after she answered a call from her ex-boyfriend.
The 28-year-old, described as a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality by his own solicitor, later spat in the face of an officer as he was taken out of a police van.
A sheriff slammed Mitchell’s “appalling” conduct and locked him up for over two years.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how a drunken Mitchell’s demeanour changed after the woman received a phone call from her former partner.
“After she hung up, he became angry and aggressive,” prosecutor Marie Irvine said.
“At around 4.45am, the accused struck her causing her to fall over and lose consciousness.
“Other witnesses tried to stop him and the accused said ‘I’ll take all three of you'”
Mitchell continued to be abusive and the witnesses later left the flat.
The lout punched a mirror which smashed and caused a cut to his hand, resulting in blood being spilled across the property.
Mitchell would again punch the woman before the witnesses returned to check on her.
Police attended and found the woman to be “extremely upset”. Officers arrested Mitchell who was slurring his words and smelling of alcohol.
He was taken to police headquarters on West Bell Street and as PC Tony Weed opened the van, Mitchell spat directly on his face.
Mitchell responded: “Sorry I spat I didn’t mean it.”
The HMP Perth prisoner pleaded guilty to attacking the woman and causing her to lose consciousness on November 15 last year as well as behaving abusively and assaulting PC Weed.
Defence solicitor Mike Short said Mitchell’s behaviour and criminal record had been triggered by substance misuse.
This was following the death of his parents in his teenage years.
Mr Short said: “He uses alcohol to forget about other things. He becomes like a Jekyll and Hyde character when he takes alcohol.”
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael told Mitchell: “You committed this assault on your partner before going on to assault a police officer by spitting in his face.
“Spitting on a police officer in the execution of his duty is unacceptable, particularly when it is known that coronavirus is transmitted by aerial droplets. It’s just appalling.”
Mitchell was jailed for 29 months.
