AN ARGUMENT over a dating app led to a 25-year-old man grabbing his partner with such force it left a hand print around her throat.

Nathan Race admitted assaulting the woman at an address in the Borders on October 18 last year.

Selkirk Sheriff Court heard the row escalated when Race, a former member of the Armed Forces, flipped a bed over and told her: "You don't know what I could do."

The woman began recording the incident on a mobile phone.

But Fiona Hamilton, prosecuting, said Race, who later seized it, added: "I could smash your face against the wall and keep smashing it until there's nothing left."

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The woman attempted to leave the room – but Race pushed her, causing her to fall, and then seized her by the neck to her injury.

The court heard the incident ended when a child, who witnessed the commotion, ran outside to get help.

As well as the assault, Race – who gave an address in Wingate, County Durham – admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

His solicitor, Ross Dow, said he'd been in the Army and struggled with poor mental health. But he added his former partner had told him his client's behaviour was "out of character", and he is now seeking help.

Sheriff Gareth Jones fined Race £400 and ordered him to pay a £20 victim surcharge.