A KELSO man who admitted being involved in a domestic bust-up with his wife has been ordered to be of good behaviour for the next six months.

John Lewis was sleeping on the couch downstairs in the marital home in Inch Road when his wife came into the living room at six o clock in the morning and turned on the television and a tread mill.

Jedburgh Sheriff Court was told an argument broke out between the pair during which he broke her mobile phone by throwing it against the wall.

Lewis, 63, pleaded guilty to a charge of behaving in a threatening or abusive manner on January 26 by shouting, making abusive and offensive comments and breaking his wife's phone.

Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser said the parties had been together for 20 years and married for 12 years but the relationship seemed to have broken down.

He explained: "The circumstances are the accused went out to the pub on Friday, January 25, and came home after midnight and was sleeping on the couch in the living room.

"The wife came into the living room early in the morning and switched on the television and the treadmill as is the normal practice and he normally sleeps through it.

"But he woke up and there was an argument developed."

The fiscal said that during the row he told her she could not use any electricity as he paid the bills and made offensive comments including threatening to kick her out of the house.

Mr Fraser added: "She picked up a mobile phone and he took it from her and he hit it against the wall breaking it."

The police were contacted and Lewis was taken into custody and he made no reply to being cautioned and charged.

Defence lawyer Ross Dow said his client was a first offender and had accepted his guilt.

He said the relationship with the wife had broken down and they were leading separate lives.

Mr Dow said: "It was 6am and he was asleep on the couch. The noise bothered him."

Sheriff Peter Paterson said he would defer sentence for six months to see if Lewis could stay out of trouble during that period.

He said that when the case recalled on August 8 he could consider an admonition or a small fine if Lewis had been of good behaviour.