A FORMER soldier who was discharged from the Army due to violence has been jailed again after committing further assaults, on Civvie Street.

Adam Charles Allen attacked three people at a 50th birthday celebration being staged at an address in Hunwick, near Crook, on July 12, last year.

Durham Crown Court was told Allen was seen turning up outside the premises, looking over a rear wall, shouting for a woman, the daughter of the occupier, who had already left.

In the following confrontation when challenged, a woman was grabbed and hauled over the gate, causing her to fall heavily to the ground.

Peter Sabiston, prosecuting, said her partner protested and was punched in the face by Allen, causing a nose bleed, and he fell on his back.

Allen then struck him twice more causing his head to strike the pavement, resulting in him briefly losing consciousness.

He was brought to his feet and taken into the house for his injuries to be attended to, while others present tried to calm Allen, who also punched another, older man, to the face.

All three victims suffered injuries, the most serious being the man struck three times, who suffered a broken nose, which was deviated and for which he had to undergo plastic surgery.

Witnesses described Allen being “out of control” and the aggressor, but when arrested and interviewed he denied it and claimed to have been acting in self-defence.

The 26-year-old defendant, of Hollyhill, Shildon, denied assault causing actual bodily harm and two counts of assault by beating, at a plea hearing in February.

But, on the day of his scheduled trial, earlier this month, he changed his pleas and admitted the offences.

The court heard he has previous offences for violence and was dismissed from the Army for an assault in 2015, for which he was Court Martialled and incarcerated for six months.

Lewis Kerr, mitigating, said the regime installed in him in three-and-a-half years in the Army has continued since his discharge and he still attends the gym regularly, but Judge Ray Singh intervened, saying: “He still assaults people.”

Mr Kerr added that the incident was almost a year ago and he has kept out of trouble since.

Urging the judge to pass a non-custodial sentence, Mr Kerr added: “A community order with unpaid work would be an imposition on his liberty and would allow him to maintain his employment and enable him to pay compensation to his victims

Judge Singh referred to a reference in the probation pre-sentence report, in which it stated Allen was, “recklessly impulsive”.

Imposing a 36-week prison sentence, he told Allen: “I take the view of the Probation Service, that you lack self-control and act recklessly and impulsively, using violence to sort out your problems.

“There were three assaults her at a time when you were fuelled by alcohol.”

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