A THUG who was attacking a woman in a Greenock flat snatched a mobile phone from a young child trying to make a 999 emergency call and smashed the handset off a door.

Edward Joyce had seized the woman by her hair, pulled her to the ground and was repeatedly striking her head when the primary school aged youngster went to alert police.

Joyce, 33, of Poplar Street, pleaded guilty to a series of offences committed at an address elsewhere in the town on January 15.

As well as the assault, he admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards his victim and the child, and to shouting, swearing and uttering offensive remarks towards police.

The sheriff court heard that an argument broke out between Joyce and the victim around 9pm.

A procurator fiscal depute said: 

“The accused claimed the complainer had been sleeping around.

“The accused grabbed the complainer by the hair and pulled her to the ground.

“He thereafter slapped the witness to the face seven times, to her injury.

“At this time, a child was within his bedroom. The complainer requested that the child call 999.

“The accused thereafter made his way from the living room to a bedroom and removed the mobile phone from the child.

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“He took the mobile phone and threw it off the living room door.”

Joyce then returned to the living room, where he further assaulted the woman by slapping her to the face again, the court heard.

The complainer managed to call 999 but did not respond to the operator, though she could be heard ‘screaming and shouting’ throughout the call.

Police attended and observed the woman to be ‘extremely distressed and upset’. They also noted blood stains on her face and head.

Joyce’s defence solicitor described the incident as a ‘drunken argument that spiralled out of control’.

He said: “I’m instructed by Mr Joyce to express his remorse for his conduct.

“It would be fair to say that he is horrified and embarrassed that he acted in this fashion.

“He has little clear recollection, such was the level of intoxication.”

Joyce had also been charged with resisting, obstructing or hindering four police officers in execution of their duty and repeatedly tensing his arms in an attempt to evade arrest, however, his not guilty plea to this allegation was accepted by the Crown.

Sheriff Sheena Fraser told him: “It’s completely unacceptable that you behaved in this way, particularly in the same house as a child.”

The sheriff imposed a community payback order which will see Joyce remain under supervision for 18 months and also carry out 180 hours of unpaid work within 12 months.

Sheriff Fraser also imposed a non-harassment order forbidding Joyce from approaching or contacting the complainer for a period of two years.