A Douglas man has been convicted of provoking behaviour after a row with his girlfriend over him forgetting to feed the cat.

Benjamin James Canning, of Allan Street, admitted the offence, which replaced one of affray, and will be sentenced on August 28 after a probation report has been completed.

Prosecutor Barry Swain told the court how, on December 12 at 9pm, an altercation took place at a house at Close Kennish in Douglas between 23-year-old Canning and his girlfriend.

The disturbance alerted neighbours, who called police.

One neighbour reported hearing screaming and banging, with a woman shouting ’help me’.

They called the police before going outside to see Canning’s partner run out of the house with him in pursuit.

The witness reported seeing the woman on the ground screaming said they could not see fully due to a hedge being in the way.

The woman was then seen running into another neighbour’s house.

A second witness said they heard shouting next door then loud banging.

They then seen Canning’s girlfriend open the door shouting: ’No, let go of me, get off me’, before the door was slammed.

The woman was then seen by the witness outside the house on the ground curled up with Canning leaning over her, gripping her by the shoulder and throat.

The neighbour confronted Canning saying: ’What are you doing, let go of her,’ to which he replied: ’I just want to talk to her.’

The neighbour then took the woman into their house, saying that she was upset and crying.

Canning banged on the neighbour’s door saying he wanted to speak to his girlfriend but was not allowed in.

Police arrived and he was arrested, telling police: ’I don’t normally drink. I was being a knobhead.’

The following day Canning handed police a prepared statement saying on a scale of how drunk he was, from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most drunk, he rated himself a six.

Canning’s statement said that he had been out and his girlfriend had picked him up.

He said they had argued and he admitted trying to put his hand over her mouth to stop her shouting so they wouldn’t disturb the neighbours.

He said they had both slipped on ice in the garden and that was when the police were called.

Defence advocate David Reynolds said that his client was currently the subject of a probation order issued a couple of months before this offence.

Mr Reynolds entered a basis of plea on behalf of his client in which Canning said he had been at his office party and that the couple had argued after she had picked him up because he had forgotten to feed the cat.

Canning said he had consumed three Jack Daniels and Coke and two pints of lager.

He said he was trying to calm her down by holding her in the shoulder and neck area.

Bail was granted and Canning will be sentenced in summary court after the probation report’s completion.