Bo'ness offender attacked partner while she was holding their toddler son

Wojciech Socko, 41, kicked his partner then pushed and pulled her around the living room of their home. She somehow managed to keep her feet and did not drop the child during the assault.

She managed to get herself and the child to safety and called police the following day to report the attack.

Socko, Flat 23, 1 Kingseat Avenue, Grangemouth, appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court on Thursday having pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman – kicking her on the body and seizing her clothing at an address in Deanfield Drive, Bo’ness on July 2.

The procurator fiscal depute said: “It was 7pm and the witness was within the address with the accused and their three-year-old child. She was holding the child and there was an argument between her and the accused.

"The accused then kicked the witness with his left foot to her lower back. She staggered but did not fall over. He then grabbed her jumper sleeve while she was still holding the boy and proceed to pull and push her around the living room.

"She managed to pull away from him and sat on the sofa. She then went off to bed with the child. She contacted police the next day.”

Sheriff Derek Livingston noted this had been a particularly bad assault because the victim in this case was holding a small child while it was going on.

The court heard Socko, who required an interpreter, was a first offender.

Sheriff Livingston said: “I do accept this is a one off. What you did here could have had quite severe consequences – fortunately that doesn’t seem to have been the case.

"There are all sorts of studies that show when a child witnesses abuse between parents, they can suffer from that in later life.”

Socko was placed on a structured deferred sentence for six months to August 11 to show he could be of good behaviour in that time and engage with Change Grow Live or other addiction services.

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FKH/V