A teenage domestic abuser who carried out a string of brazen attacks on his girlfriend when he was just 16 has been spared a custodial sentence.
The boy, now 17, who cannot be named because of his age, subjected the girl to vicious attacks – all in front of their friends – including one where he held a burning hot lighter against her stomach, leaving her permanently scarred.
In another he squeezed her neck, leaving her unable to breathe as she fought desperately to free herself.
The teenager could have faced detention after admitting five assault charges committed on the girl over the space of eight months – but was instead given unpaid work and ordered to be supervised by social workers for two years.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard the pair started a relationship in October 2017 – and that within a matter of weeks the boy had begun subjecting her to violent assaults.
The 17-year-old, of Dundee, pleaded guilty on indictment to five charges of assault committed between November 2017 and July 2018.
Defence solicitor Gary McIlravey said: “He accepts a custodial sentence will be at the front of your lordship’s mind.
“But given the background and his history there is plainly more to him than meets the eye.
“He is in a new relationship now and his partner is pregnant, expecting in three months or so, and there has been no repeat of these offences.”
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael imposed a community payback order with 180 hours unpaid work and two years’ supervision on the boy.
He further ordered the teenager to undertake a domestic abuse groupwork programme and take part in mental health treatment.
