A FORMER soldier, suffering stress disorder, broke a man’s jaw with a punch in retribution for what he believed was a racist remark aimed at a friend, a court heard.

Following the attack, in the William Stead pub, in Darlington, the victim immediately went to the town’s Memorial Hospital, and was referred to James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, for further treatment.

A man who accompanied the victim to hospital briefly returned to the scene of the attack to find his mobile phone, left at the premises.

Durham Crown Court heard he was amazed to see his friend’s assailant, Martin Young, still there, as he assumed he would have been ejected by door staff.

Sam Faulks, prosecuting, said when the man entered, Young asked him: “Are you f*****g stupid?”

Despite trying to keep his head down while retrieving his phone, telling Young he had not done anything, the angry defendant then also punched him in the head.

Mr Faulks said Young was persuaded to leave the premises by others, while his shaken second victim sought hospital treatment for a small lump to his forehead.

The earlier victim suffered what was described as “a very displaced fracture” of the jaw, for which he spent four days in hospital and was left in pain for several weeks.

He also suffered a loss of sensation to his lower lip, causing difficulty eating anything other than soft food for some time after the incident, on September 1, last year.

Mr Faulks told the court that as a result, the victim planned to avoid the William Stead, in future.

Young, 29, of North Road, Darlington, admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm and common assault.

But the court heard the admission to the initial attack was on the basis that a racist remark was made as the complainant passed him and a friend in the pub, and he reacted with a single punch.

Andrew Teate, mitigating, said, following a long period of Army service, Young was medically discharged having been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, in part arising from being attacked, himself, in France, and is receiving therapy.

But he added that he wanted to apologise for the attack, which was committed on the spur of the moment, and for which he made early admissions.

Judge Simon Hickey said he accepted that Young, who has no previous convictions, behaved out of character, while still suffering the effects of stress disorder.

He imposed an 11-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered Young to pay £500 compensation to the broken jaw victim and £140 statutory surcharge.