Inverness neighbourly dispute got out of control
A neighbourly dispute got out of control when a man threw a glass of liquid over a woman next door as she stood at her garden gate.
Inverness Sheriff Court heard that 37-year-old David Penwarden, of Milton Crescent, Inverness then followed the woman into her home after jumping over the garden gate and hitting her wall with a stick.
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Fiscal depute Shamilah Ghafar told Sheriff Gary Aitken: "As she entered her home, she noticed him coming after her. He took her by the throat, she fell to the ground and banged her head.
"He then took off her glasses and threw them up the hallway while he still had her by the throat."
The prosecutor added that she grabbed Penwarden by the hair to try and get him off her and he said: "You old f****** old bag. You need to die. Nobody likes you."
Ms Ghafar went on: "He put both hands round her throat and she thought he was going to kill her, that she would die. She was crying and struggling."
The court was told that she was rescued when a neighbour came in and told Penwarden to let her go.
He replied: "What are you going to do?" before he let go and walked away.
Penwarden, whose victim suffered reddening to her neck, admitted assault to injury.
Defending, Rory Gowans said: "There had been difficulties for a number of years. There were comments made about his children but it is no excuse. He bitterly regrets this."
Sheriff Aitken sentenced Penwarden to 180 hours of unpaid work and ordered him to remain under social work supervision for two years after previously deferring sentence for a background report.
He told him after reading the report: "It is quite clear you realise the gravity of your actions. Violence to this extent is never an answer. You are very close to a jail sentence being inevitable."
