A DOCTOR who assaulted his ­pregnant wife has been jailed for 15 months.

Michael Lever, 43, attacked Caroline Lever while she was carrying their second child and strangled her over a table.

The doctor - who has five ­children to his estranged wife - also slapped her son, Patrick George, now 20, for taking a book without permission and threw a can of beer at his daughter after an argument.

He denied the charges but a jury at Glasgow Sheriff Court found him guilty of assaulting Mrs Lever at hospital accommodation at Law Hospital, Carluke, while she was pregnant between 1997 and July 1998. He was cleared of kneeing her in the stomach.

He was also cleared of ­holding a knife to Mrs Lever's throat in another incident.

The doctor, from Ayr, was convicted of an assault on Mr George between July 2001 and March 2004, and his 16-year-old daughter Sophie between January 2008 and January 2010.

He was also found guilty of a breach of the peace by holding a knife to his throat and brandishing the blade, scaring Mrs Lever and Mrs George.

Sheriff Sam ­Cathcart jailed Lever for 15 months.

Mrs Lever, 42, told the court Lever moved in to her flat with her and her son at Dowanhill Street in Glasgow within months of them becoming a couple.

Mrs Lever said they moved to hospital accommodation at Law Hospital, Carluke, and recalled an attack that took place.

The witness said she had no memory of how the incident began. Mrs Lever told the jury: "He strangled me over a table." She claimed he pushed her backwards on the table and was half on top of her, kneeing her in the stomach.

The court also heard of an ­incident when Lever held a knife to his own throat during an argument with his wife and threatened to kill himself. The incident took place at Sydenham Road, Glasgow.

While the family lived in Denholm in the borders, Lever slapped Mr George for taking one of his university books to school.

Mr George said the incident took place in the car outside their house when Lever saw Mr George had his book.

Sophie Lever, 16, also gave evidence against her father and told how she was hit by a can of beer after an argument. She told the jury the family were living in Marchmont Terrace, Glasgow, when the assault happened.

The court heard she and her father argued on her mum's birthday as the teenager would not sign a card and that Lever threw a can of beer at his daughter.