A domestic row culminated in a saucepan full of food being hurled at one of the parties, a court in Douglas has been told.

Nigel Raymond Kermeen got into an argument with his wife after poking fun at his step-daughter, said prosecutor Michael Jelski.

He told the court 45-year-old Kermeen was in the kitchen of the family home at Brookfield Crescent in Ramsey when the row flared up, ending with the step daughter storming upstairs.

At this point, he said Kermeen swore at them and then went to the pub.

But when he returned later the same evening matters had not improved and the argument continued. As the defendant’s wife was standing at the sink, the court heard a saucepan flew past her head and smashed against the kitchen wall , depositing its contents down the wall and over her.

Kermeen said he wanted a divorce, screaming and shouting and grabbing her by the wrists, saying he would clean up.

When Mrs Kermeen received a text message the argument flared up again as he lunged to try to grab the telephone. He threatened to smash her laptop computer then threw a wooden spoon at her.

Mr Jelski said the victim was bruised on her hand and her wrists were sore after the attack.

Police tracked down the defendant lying low in the top floor bedroom and he was arrested and cautioned. A further struggle ensued as they tried to arrest him.

He was handcuffed and further arrested for resisting arrest, Mr Jelski said.

At his police interview, he said there had been a disagreement over the step children. He said he had been out to the pub but had a further argument on his return. He accepted throwing the saucepan but said its trajectory was at least three feet from his wife’s head. He also said he was never going to throw any punches at police but said he was not going to make it easy for them as they should ’earn their keep’.

Describing it a a ’pressure cooker’ type situation, Paul Glover, for the defence, said: ’Strain at home led to this incident. It has been on-going for some time and he is very sorry and accepts that his behaviour was unacceptable.

’He is keen to address the issues and rectify his marital situation. He wants to make amends and feels a suspended sentence would be a deterrent.’

Kermeen admitted assault and resisting the police, both on April 28.

Magistrates’ chairman Julian Ashcroft sentenced him to 16 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for two years, concurrently on the two offences.

He also received an 18-month suspended sentence supervision order and pays £125 towards costs.