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Frank Augstein/AP
Cousins' then wife had driven their son to Cousins' workplace, where the youngster was due to spend the day with his father.
According to the prosecution, as she waited in the car, Cousins clambered into a forklift truck, placed the forks under her Hyundai and began to raise the car up.
The court heard how the woman "screamed and asked to be put down" after Cousins raised her to a level "as high as he was".
A solicitor for Cousins said the couple had been going through a very contentious break-up and that after parking in the business's yard, the woman had refused to move her car and Cousins had resorted to using the forklift to remove the vehicle.
He said his client maintained that he had only raised her car two inches off the ground, "not to harm her," and denied dropping her car from a height. Cousins had already covered the damage to the car and spent a night in jail because of his actions but District Judge Gerry Trainer said he had "a record that shows a propensity for violence".
He pointed out that Cousins' record showed an assault in 2009, an assault on a teenage boy, as well as a conviction for dangerous driving.
The judge added: "Who you are and what you are is far from a man of good character. What you did to your wife is a scandalous manifestation of domestic violence at the very highest level."
He said Cousins had put his wife into a situation in which she was left "defenceless".
He added: "This court will not entertain bullying."
Cousins walked free from Ards Magistrates Court after being granted bail of £500 pending appeal against a three-month jail sentence for the offence.