Man assaulted woman after changing his mind about proposing marriage
News from the courts A 54-year-old man who assaulted his partner after a row over a marriage proposal has been jailed for four months. Derek Michael Christopher Bird, care of the prison, argued with the woman after he said he had decided not to propose as previously planned. He initially pleaded not guilty to a charge of common assault on a woman but on Thursday changed his plea to guilty. A second charge of provoking behaviour was dismissed after the Crown offered no evidence in light of the guilty plea. The court heard that Bird was already in prison after being recalled for breach of a...