A BARBER who said he intervened when a woman was getting harassed during a night out in Darlington has been fined after throwing punches 'indiscriminately' at several men.

Sean Ivor Bending, of Colburn, near Catterick Garrison, was on a night out in Darlington when he drank 'significantly more' than he was used to – and ended up throwing punches at men on Skinnergate.

The 18-year-old was 'swinging punches at other men, some making contact, some not', in the early hours of the morning on Sunday, April 8, magistrates in Newton Aycliffe were told.

Alan Davison, prosecuting, said: "He was arrested by police officers on duty and smelled of alcohol. He admitted that he was drunk and became angry over an issue with a young lady."

Mr Davison said he had asked his supervisors if the matter could be dealt with by way of a caution, because Bending had no previous convictions or contact with the police, but he was told to go ahead with the case.

Bending, who pleaded guilty to the public order offence, had 'never troubled the court before', his solicitor Stephen Andrews said.

"He has shown a genuine level of remorse," he said. "I do make the point that this was a very cautionable case and I don't think my colleague on the prosecution would disagree.

"But there seems to have been a shift in terms of once a decision has been made to prosecute a matter it is very difficult to reverse that."

Bending had made 'full and frank' admissions to police on the night in question.

Mr Andrews said: "He had drunk to excess.

"He is not a heavy drinker and had significantly more than he was used to.

"He went on to Skinnergate where there are a number of takeaways.

"He had intervened in a situation where he felt a young lady was getting some unnecessary aggravation from a group of males and unfortunately because of some comments made to him he started lashing out indiscriminately."

He said Bending was employed as a barber in Catterick Garrison, on a very low income, and he asked the court in the light of the circumstances, and the fact it was his 'first brush with the law' to consider a conditional discharge.

Magistrates said that a discharge was outside their sentencing guidelines.

They imposed a fine of £97, including a reduction given for his early guilty plea, and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.