A woman was woken from her sleep, pulled from the couch and pinned to the floor in a dispute over a bottle of wine.
Peter Cassidy, 59, of Davidson Place, Ayr launched the assault on his wife Lynne to get to the booze which was hidden underneath her.
Ayr Sheriff Court heard Mrs Cassidy was asleep on the couch, due to struggling to get upstairs, when she woke at 3am on December 11.
Depute fiscal Peter Moyes said: “She was awoken by the accused, who pulled her from the couch, pinned her to the floor and put a pillow over her face. She managed to tilt her mouth to breathe.
“The accused punched her to the side of the head.
“Mrs Cassidy grabbed the accused by the testicles to get him off her.”
Cassidy then took a bottle of wine which was hidden in the living room, barricaded himself in the bedroom and went to sleep.
When the pair awoke later that morning Mrs Cassidy noted that the accused was very drunk.
Police were called and the accused said: “Just arrest me now. I’m going to jail.”
Mrs Cassidy was spoken to by police and was visibly upset and had bruising to her face.
Mr Moyes added that Cassidy is “described by the complainer as a chronic alcoholic”.
Defence solicitor Gregor Forbes said: “There seems to have been an argument regarding the fact he wasn’t getting access to money or his bank card.
“I think it’d be fair to say he wanted money to get drink.
“There was a bottle of wine within the living room which was hidden.
“She was on the couch and I understand the wine was underneath the cushion.
“The argument developed into something more physical, primarily with a view to get his wife off the couch to get the wine.
“He did get the wine and locked himself in the bedroom and consumed the wine.
“The accused has simply picked up the cushion and put it over her face. I don’t think there was any genuine threat.”
At the time of the offence Cassidy was on bail with conditions that he could not approach Mrs Cassidy or enter Symington.
He breached the conditions on a number of occasions.
Mr Forbes explained that on one occasion Cassidy went to the aid of his wife after hearing that she had suffered a fall.
Sheriff Desmond Leslie said: “But he would have been sober so he would have been fully aware there was a bail order.
“There is an element of defiance.”
Mr Forbes said Cassidy had tried to address his issue with alcohol and had attended Turning Point.
He said: “I think Mr Cassidy appreciated and has always appreciated that he has an alcohol issue.
“It does seem to be the view that Mrs Cassidy has some degree of sympathy, describing him as an alcoholic.
"It’s been something of a wake-up call.”
The sheriff called for background reports and ordered Cassidy to be kept in custody until he is sentenced.
