A TRANENT man who acted aggressively towards his former partner has been ordered to pay a fine.

Jason Lovell, 33, shouted and swore at the woman before hitting his head off the inside of a police van after he had been arrested.

Last Wednesday, Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told that an argument between Lovell and the woman erupted after they both began drinking alcohol at about 2pm on July 26.

He became aggressive and was shouting and swearing during the row, and called the woman derogatory names such as “b****, slag and c***”.

The woman was said to have been left “frightened” by the outburst and in fear of being assaulted.

She managed to lock him out of the property at Baxters Gate in Tranent after he left to put bottles in the recycling bin and Lovell began to smash the bottles on the ground outside.

A neighbour witnessed the incident and decided to call in the police after father-of-three Lovell continued to shout and swear.

Officers found him in the garden of the home and, after being placed in the back of a waiting police van, Lovell continued to act aggressively and started to “bang his head off the cage”.

Lawyer Angela Craig said that her client had been in a relationship with the woman for 12 years and was currently staying at the Mercat Hotel in Haddington.

Ms Craig said that Lovell was “appalled he behaved in this way” and the couple had now decided to split up.

Sheriff Kenneth Campbell QC said “this type of behaviour is not acceptable” and sentenced Lovell to pay a fine of £260.

Lovell pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at an address at Baxters Gate, Tranent, and on route to St Leonard’s Police Station in Edinburgh on July 26.