Attacker drenched woman in lager after flinging her to the floor

Restaurant worker Mark MacBryde, 36, poured the contents of a can over his victim after she suffered scratches and bruising during the fall.Newcastle Crown Court heard the couple had been out for the evening on November 14 last year and an argument started when they got back to her home.Prosecutor Jolyon Perks told the court: "Things rapidly escalated out of hand and he grabbed her by the coat and swung her around from the doorway of the room she was in."He pushed her against the fridge, threw her to the floor."He took a can of lager which he emptied on top of her as she was on the floor."The court heard the victim was left with scratches to her shin and bruising to her thigh.MacBryde, of Fenton Terrace, Houghton le Spring, who was on a suspended sentence for an assault on a stranger, admitted common assault.Julie Clemitson, defending, said the attack happened during MacBryde's "short relationship" with the victim and he is now back with his wife, who he had been briefly separated from.Miss Clemitson said said MacBryde had pushed the victim out of the doorway so he could leave her house, "which is all he wanted".The court heard MacBryde had a troubled background but is now determined to make something of his life.Miss Clemitson added: "He has now got his life back together."His wife and he are reconciled, he has stable employment and he has not had a drink since that night."Mr Recorder John Aitken sentenced MacBryde, who has previous convictions for violence, to a community order for 12 months with 40 hours unpaid work and £50costs.The judge imposed an additional 20 hours unpaid work for MacBryde's breach of the suspended sentence.Recorder Aitken told him: "You must understand how close you are sailing to the wind here."You are subject to a suspended sentence for an attack in the street then you end up assaulting this lady during a brief relationship."The judge accepted MacBryde was "making an effort to get back on an even keel" and told him: "I accept it was a one-off relapse rather than an indication you have gone back to being violent."