A man smashed the windscreen of his estranged wife’s car following a bitter row.

Colin Arthur Cauldwell, aged 52, of Stanley View, Douglas, admitted an offence of threatening behaviour and was fined £500.

The court heard that the couple run a business together.

Prosecutor Barry Swain told the court how, on March 8 at 3.35pm, police were called to Ballaterson Meadows after a report of a disturbance.

A car which was parked outside had suffered a smashed windscreen.

doorbell

Cauldwell’s estranged wife said that he had been shouting outside the house and held his finger on the doorbell for a full minute.

She said he was shouting: ’That car is mine, I paid for it.’

She then said she heard a popping sound and saw her husband standing next to the broken windscreen with a smirk on his face.

Representing himself in court Cauldwell said that he would accept that by smashing the windscreen his behaviour had been threatening but said that he had not been shouting or pressed the doorbell.

He said that he had gone to get the car keys and claimed that his wife had previously gone to work premises with her son and used a sledgehammer to break in and take computers and two vans.

Cauldwell said that his wife had since resigned as a director of the company they owned together.

Deputy High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said: ’I understand that there are two sides to every story’ and also bound Cauldwell over to keep the peace, in particular towards his wife, for 12 months.

He was also ordered to pay £125 prosecution costs.