DUMBARTON MAN DRAGGED PARTNER FROM HIS FLAT AND CALLED COPS
A "volatile" relationship saw a man drag his partner out of his flat - then call police and claim she smashed the place up.Colin Nugent, 40, has previous convictions for domestic attacks and has now been banned from any contact with the woman.
Dumbarton Sheriff Court heard how the couple had been in an "on and off" relationship for about 10 years, the court heard.
Around 6pm on July 23, 2025, the pair met up and the woman agreed to return to his home in Bellsmyre Avenue, Dumbarton, where they drank together.
There was an argument and Nugent accused her of cheating on him.
She asked to leave.
The man asked her to stay.
At 7am the next morning, she was getting ready to depart when he woke up and became angry.
He ran at her down a hallway and pulled her into the common close.
She ran and phoned the police.
When officers arrived, they found Nugent back in his flat.
He had called the police himself - claiming the woman had "smashed up his flat".
They arrested him and he said: "I pushed her out the door.
I manhandled her.
I might have been a bit rough." Nugent pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman, seizing her, pushing her on the body and pulling her out of the flat.
It was aggravated by being against a partner or ex.
At Dumbarton Sheriff Court on January 20, defence solicitor Phil Lafferty said it was "clearly a very volatile relationship".
"His position is it was her who became enraged and damaged the TV set," he said.
"He admitted he grabbed her and pulled her out of the door." Mr Lafferty said his client understood "assault" to mean "punching and striking".
Sheriff John McElroy KC pointed to Nugent's record for domestic offences.
He told the man: "That's deplorable and you should be ashamed of yourself." The sheriff put Nugent on two years of social work supervision and 140 hours of unpaid work within 12 months.
The court will review his progress.
"Be under no illusion," he added.
"This is a direct alternative to custody.
So if you mess it up, you will go to the jail." He was ordered not to communicate with his ex for five years.
