A 43-year-old Collingwood man pleaded guilty from the prisoner's box Apr. 22 to a domestic assault in which he spat three times at his wife - receiving 54 days behind bars followed by a year on probation.

Court heard that on Apr. 5, 2008 Huronia West officers were called to a Moberly Street address in Wasaga Beach about a domestic disturbance.

Police found the female victim outside the home, weeping and sober.

She told the officers she had returned home to find Russell Wright in an intoxicated state.

At some point, the accused "charged at her, slapped her and spat at her three times, missed twice and then hit her hair," read Crown attorney Enno Meijers.

Defence counsel Denis Parent of Wasaga Beach said his client - who has been a recovering alcoholic with treatment from the Simcoe Outreach Services - became extremely upset when his spouse called him "a f- drunk."

"He realizes it wasn't far off the mark," added Parent.

Mr. Justice Roland Harris initially imposed a DNA order and a 10-year weapons ban in the case. He then cited a case from 2003 in Oaklahoma, where a man was sentenced to life in prison for spitting on a peace officer. "So spitting is taken very, very seriously by the courts. Nobody likes being hit or slapped, but I'm sure most people prefer that to spitting," he wrote.

Wright can't drink alcohol for 12 months, and must remain away from the victim entirely unless she files her revocable consent in writing. Continued counseling with SOS - or a similar program - who also endorsed by the court.