As they made their way to a relative’s house, one of the distressed children contacted the emergency services on his mobile phone and said he thought Michael O’Neill Burns had killed the woman.

Burns, a prisoner at Perth, admitted assaulting the woman at a house in the Douglas area of Dundee on April 11, punching her on the face, pulling her by the hair, dragging her to the ground, repeatedly punching her on the head, repeatedly kicking her on the body and legs and rendering her unconscious, all to her injury.

He also admitted behaving in a disorderly manner, shouting and swearing at her, causing the three children in the house to fear for the woman’s life and for their own safety, and to flee and summon emergency help; and breaching the peace.

Burns further admitted assaulting the woman at a house in Linlathen on October 4, attempting to punch her on the head, seizing her by the hair, punching her on the head, seizing her by clothing at her throat and pushing her on the body so she fell to the ground, all to her injury, and committing that offence while on bail from the first occasion.

Depute Fiscal Vicki Bell said Burns had been in an on-off relationship with the woman for 16 years. On the night of the first assault, they met up in a pub and returned to her home by taxi, arriving around 11.15 pm. For no apparent reason, an argument broke out, during which Burns became abusive, shouting and swearing at the woman and calling her names.

Burns then punched the victim on the face, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to the floor in the living room, where he kicked her repeatedly on the stomach, back and legs and punched her on the head.

The three children witnessed the assault and two of them tried to prevent Burns continuing, with no success.

At that point, fearing the woman was lying dead on the living room floor and frightened for their own safety, they left the house and made the 999 call. A control room operator kept the children on the line as they made the 16-minute walk to a relative’s house.

Meanwhile, the victim was woken by Burns shaking her on the body and telling her the police had arrived. She suffered a swollen lip and pain to her head, back and stomach, but declined medical attention.

Burns told the police, “It’s only a domestic.”

Turning to events on October 4, Miss Bell said Burns and the woman had reconciled and were staying with a relative. They had been out in the city centre when an argument had developed between Burns and the woman’s brother, and Burns had returned home alone.

When the woman arrived home, Burns immediately started an argument with her and demanded that she leave the house. He grabbed her by the clothing and forcibly pushed her from the living room and out of the front door and refused to allow her to re-enter.

As she was put out of the house, the victim fell to the ground, banging her head on a hand-rail and scraping her knee on the ground, Miss Bell continued.

As she tried to get back into the house, Burns punched her on the face. She suffered a slight redness to her left temple but again declined medical assistance.

Sheriff Duff deferred sentence on Burns to February 9 for background reports.

Referring to Burns’ description of the first assault as “only a domestic”, he said he wished the Crown would stop using that tag of domestic assault.

“The bottom line is it is a crime of violence, and it is a crime of violence directed usually by a man, though not always, against a female partner in a home situation, and it is extremely serious.”

He said Burns has a record for violent offences and a series of convictions for crimes of assault. Rejecting a motion for bail, he said the idea in the circumstances was “unrealistic”.