A BURLY clubber who shattered a man’s ankle with a rugby tackle after he was covered with beer in a nightspot has walked free from court.

Ben McWilliams was told by a judge that the references he provided were among the most impressive he had seen in a criminal case.

The testimonials spoke of a hard-working man with a good future who had done something completely out of character which would not be repeated.

Now the 21-year-old must carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work, and pay £250 court costs as part of a suspended sentence order.

Teesside Crown Court heard how McWilliams was drenched with beer thrown at a woman he did not know, by a man who was also a stranger.

A doorman saw him running over to the man - said to have been making a nuisance of himself earlier that night - and knock him to the floor.

The victim was left hobbling, needed first aid at the scene and later underwent surgery for two breaks to his ankle, the court was told.

He told police he remembered little except being attacked from behind. His leg was put in plaster for eight weeks, and he had a limp, he said.

Judge Howard Crowson imposed a ten-month sentence, suspended for a year, after McWilliams admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Duncan McReddie, mitigating, said McWilliams, of Southfield Road, Middlesbrough, had a full-time job and was well thought-of.

He said: “Those testimonials evidence a thoughtful young man of some judgment. This appears to be the one occasion on which that sense of judgment left him."

Judge Crowson told McWilliams, who has a full-time job: “It’s rather sad to see you stood in the crown court at all.

“You pleaded guilty at the earliest stage. You’re a man of previous good character and the loss of that may well affect you in later life.

“Clearly that’s a matter that’s affected you, you feel so guilty about what happened that night.

“It’s a serious injury. The harm is great.

“It wasn’t in any way planned by you. It’s had some ongoing effect. It happened because you were drunk.

“These things can sometimes escalate. That kind of behaviour, if not nipped in the bud by efficient door staff, can lead to dreadful types of violence.”

He added: “Every single reference speaks of you in a way which persuades me that this is something no one ever expected you would do, and will never do again.”