by Craig Borland

A DALMUIR man who repeatedly assaulted two of his children over a period of more than a year has been spared a prison sentence.

The man’s solicitor told a court hearing on Friday that his client’s behaviour was the result of the way he had been disciplined as a child.

The man, who the Post is not naming, punched, kicked and slapped his son and punched and kicked his daughter and seized and pulled her by the hair at an address in the town between December 2015 and January 2017.

At the time the offences began, the man’s son was aged eight and his daughter was 10.

The 37-year-old appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court for sentencing on Friday after pleading guilty to the charges at a previous hearing.

His solicitor, Scott Adair, told the court his client “fully accepts” his guilt, and said his behaviour arose out of a misplaced sense of the discipline used on him when he was a child.

Mr Adair said: “The children were living between four houses – those of each parent and the two sets of grandparents.

“There seem to have been different rules and disciplines in all four houses, so the children’s behaviour was at times challenging.

“He and his father have a way of how he was disciplined. In the current day and age that’s not appropriate but that’s how children were disciplined in generations gone by.

“He now understands the full seriousness of the position.”

Mr Adair said the case had been referred to the Children’s Panel, but that after consideration they did not intend to have any further involvement with the family.

He said: “He and his parents continue to have no contact with the family.

“That seems to be at the instigation of the children.

“Both the accused and his parents wish some contact to be resurrected.”

Sheriff John Hamilton said: “Your conduct was unacceptable. I suspect you now appreciate that more than you did beforehand.”

The man was ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work within six months as part of a community payback order, and was placed under social work supervision until June 2018.

A review of the order will be held on October 25.

The man’s pleas of not guilty to charges of shouting and swearing at the girl, and of stealing money from both children on various occasions were accepted by the Crown.