HOW TO MINISTER IN LOVE - SCOTTISH STYLE!

Is it any wonder why the Church is in trouble in Scotland, when this type of ministry is exposed...

A MINISTER who head-butted his wife in a row over a bedroom light was spared a jail term yesterday. A sheriff heard there was a high risk of the Rev Alan Blackwood reoffending. But she sentenced him to 18 months' probation, saying such a penalty would help him address his problems with domestic violence.

Blackwood, 45, nutted wife Sandi, also a minister, when she took the bulb out of their bedside lamp because she wanted to go to sleep. Sandi needed stitches to her nose after the assault in the early hours of Easter Monday last year.

Hamilton Sheriff Court heard that the couple had a "short, unhappy and stormy" marriage, and that the assault came after a "simmering row" between them

After the attack, Blackwood fled the manse of Burnhead Parish Church in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, where Sandi, 44, is minister. He was arrested on the way to his parents' home after his wife raised the alarm.

Blackwood told police: "She was trying to wind me up and I just snapped."

The couple are now separated and Blackwood is suspended as a minister. His lawyer told the court that he was "genuinely sorry" for the attack.

Sheriff Marie Smart noted from reports that there was a high risk of Blackwood reoffending. But she told him: "You would benefit from probation, particularly addressing your domestic violence. Community service would be unrealistic as you already serve in the community."

GBYAY