An Ayr man has appeared in court charged with carrying out a campaign of abuse against his then partner – including allegations that he choked her and stole her pet dogs.

Robert Logan, 41, pleaded not guilty to two charges when he appeared at Ayr Sheriff Court last week.

The Galloway Avenue resident is alleged to have engaged in a course of abusive behaviour against the woman between May 1 and June 24, 2022.

He is alleged to committed offences at the Morrisons supermarket in Ayr and at Castlehill Road and Smith Street in the town, as well as at Pirleyhill Pods in Girvan, Sommerville Street in Catrine, and elsewhere.

Court papers allege he took the woman’s mobile phone and keys without her permission, made abusive comments, and threatened to damage the phone.

It's claimed that he also struck the woman on the head, took possession of her dogs and refused to return them.

The Crown's indictment accuses him of repeatedly contacting the woman by phone and text message., uttering abusive language, repeatedly shouting and swearing, acting aggressively, striking a door and threatening violence.

In addition the prosecution claims that he seized the woman by the neck and compressed her throat, leaving her unable to breathe, and that he repeatedly punched her on the head and body and struck her on the head with a glass bottle to her injury.

Mr Logan faces a second charge of approaching and contacting the complainer on a number of occasions at Sommerville Street while he was the subject of a bail order.

Among the standard conditions of bail in Scotland are that an accused person “does not interfere with witnesses, or otherwise obstruct the course of justice”, and that they do not “behave in a manner which causes or is likely to cause alarm or distress to witnesses”.

Mr Logan denied both charges during a brief appearance at Ayr Sheriff Court.

Bail was continued and he will return to court to face the allegations at trial on a later date.