A DUNTOCHER man who assaulted his partner at a flat in Dalmuir has been given an absolute discharge by a court.

Graeme Keenan of Beeches Road, punched the woman at the property on January 4.

But at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last Friday, Keenan was granted an absolute discharge - meaning that no conviction will appear on his record - after his solicitor said the 27-year-old had recently secured a job as a bus driver, and a criminal record could jeopardise his post.

Keenan’s solicitor, Alistair McGarvey, said that at a previous hearing the Crown had accepted that Keenan acted under provocation, following discussions between the procurator fiscal and the victim.

Sheriff William Gallacher said: “I recall the context in which this case went through court.

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“In these very exceptional circumstances I will do what I’ve been asked to do.”