A 41-YEAR-OLD man punched and kicked his wife during a drunken assault in Dunfermline.

The culprit was Martin McDonald, who has appeared in the dock at Dunfermline Sheriff Court.

He admitted that on August 24 at Broom Grove in the city, he assaulted his wife.

He slapped her on the face, seized hold of her clothing and threw her to the floor.

He repeatedly kicked her on the body and repeatedly punched and slapped her on the head, all to her injury.

The court was told the victim sustained bruising to her face and arms, a cut lip, bleeding ear and sore ribs.

The court heard said the couple had been at home and McDonald was drunk after knocking back ten cans of lager and a bottle of Buckfast.

During the assault, the woman had phoned her niece saying, “Please help me.”

Defence solicitor Lee Qmsieh said the couple had been in a relationship for 20 years and married for six years.

“This seems to have been out of character,” he said of the offence.

“He was significantly under the influence of alcohol at the time and has made a lot of expressions of remorse.”

The solicitor said his client had since been staying in AirB&Bs having been banned from returning home.

He said a non-harassment order would create “huge practical problems for him”.

Depute fiscal Azrah Yousaf said the woman did not want contact with him as “they have fallen out again”.

Sheriff Allan Findlay said he would defer sentencing for good behaviour until January 15 and continue consideration of a non-harassment order until then.

He warned McDonald, “I’m putting you on trust. You’re going to have to tread very carefully. Any repetition will be met with a very serious response. Behave yourself.”