A Saltcoats couple landed in court following a New Years bust-up – over the fact he failed a lie detector test on Jeremy Kyle when she feared he was cheating on her.

Karen O'Neill believed Charles Glen had been sleeping with other women because adverts for dating sites kept popping up on their tablet computer.

So they went on the controversial TV show to try and get to the bottom of his fidelity – and he failed a lie detector test.

Glen, 43, tried chalked the result up to the fact that he had taken the lie detector test in the early hours of the morning, shortly before he was due to take his prescribed methadone due to his heroin addiction.

But O'Neill, 40, thought it proved he had been cheating on her, and that caused a rift in their relationship that erupted on New Years Day this year.

As couples across the world were making resolutions and looking forward to the year ahead, Glen and O'Neill came to blows at her home in Catacol Avenue, Saltcoats.

They began rowing and then their argument turned physical, with O'Neill striking Glen on the face and spitting on him.

He responded by punching her on the head, grabbing her by the hair, pushing her on to the couch and pinning her down with his knee, leaving her injured.

The matter was reported to police and Glen was arrested and charged over the attack, going on trial at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.

Glen was charged with assault and robbery, by stealing jewellery from Miss O'Neill, theft, by stealing rings, and possession of two knives.

He offered to plead guilty to assaulting Miss O'Neill under provocation, if the charge was reduced from assault and robbery, ahead of the trial, but this was rejected by prosecutors.

But, after Miss O'Neill gave evidence in the trial, they accepted his guilty plea in those terms - and sentence was deferred for background reports to be prepared.

When Glen returned to the dock at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last month to be sentenced, defence solicitor Eamonn McGeehan revealed the incident could be traced back to Glen watching porn - and them having to go on Jeremy Kyle as a result.

The lawyer said: "She accepted herself she struck Mr Glen on the face and spat on him.

"The background to this incident is alluded to in the report.

"There is reference to the complainer and Mr Glen experiencing difficulties in their relationship following their appearance on the Jeremy Kyle show one year ago.

"Mr Glen took a lie detector test in relation to his fidelity.

"Karen O'Neill's evidence [in the trial] was that there was an issue over his accessing pornographic websites - that was the precursor."

He said that, due to targeted advertising on the internet, the tablet they used was receiving adverts for dating websites, because he had been watching porn online.

And he said that, as a result of the dating website adverts, Miss O'Neill feared he had been looking for other partners online - and confronted him.

Mr McGeehan explained: "He denied it and denied it vehemently, but the relationship stalled to the point where the couple decided to contact this particular show.

"They phoned the show on day one and were contacted by a producer later that day.

"They decided they were not going to pursue it but the following day they were telephoned by the Jeremy Kyle show to see if they would reconsider - they did.

"By 6pm the same day they were collected by a taxi, paid for by the production company, and brought by taxi to Manchester, arriving about 2.30am.

"At 6am the following day he was taken to a hotel, where he underwent the lie detector test, and he was taken to the ITV studios at 8am the same day for filming.

"You are aware of his drug difficulties - he has a daily methadone prescription.

"He did not get his methadone prescription because of the hurried fashion with which they made contact with the Jeremy Kyle show.

"He had no methadone on the day in question. He failed the lie detector test.

"Apparently, if you are on prescription medication and you don't take it, that can invalidate the result of the lie detector test.

"Be that as it may, he failed the test that was administered.

"The show targets the unemployed, the socially deprived, the socially inept, and targets them on issues of paternity, fidelity , stealing from relatives, and so on.

"It is a ghastly show.

"It was broadcast two weeks later and has been on a number of occasions from August onwards.

"The local community in Saltcoats were aware of this, they became the subject of ridicule locally, and he says he could barely walk to the shops without someone recognising him from the show.

"There was a fissure in the relationship that didn't properly recover from that."

And he said that the incident blew up again on January 1 this year - when she went downstairs at 5am and found him using the tablet computer, leading to the argument which led to them fighting and Glen assaulting her under provocation.

After pointing out that Glen had spent time behind bars on remand in relation to the case, Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane placed him on a Community Payback Order which will see him supervised by social workers for a year.