THE career prospects of a young soldier were put in doubt by "45 seconds of madness", a court heard.

Martin Daniel Shuttleworth, 18, intervened after seeing two brothers pushing and shoving each other as they made their way home from a night out in Darlington town centre last July.

Durham Crown Court heard that Shuttleworth was celebrating completing his basic training with fellow Queen's Lancashire Regiment Private James Bell.

Shuttleworth approached one of the brothers, a 19-year-old man, punching him twice to the face and kicking him in the head and body.

When the victim's 23-year-old brother tried to intervene, Bell punched and kicked him to the ground.

The 19-year-old suffered cuts and bruising to the eye, a swollen nose and eye, plus other bruises and abrasions.

He lost pay as a result of being unable to work as a machine operator for a week after the incident.

Stephen Constantine, for Shuttleworth, said he felt he was trying to calm the incident, misinterpreting the brothers' "rough housing", but he accepts he "went a bit over the top".

He said: "He's a decent young man who has effectively blotted his copy book with 45 seconds of madness, after a night's drinking."

Mr Constantine said it could have affected Shuttleworth's Army prospects, but he was able to put excellent character references before the court.

Shuttleworth, of Ashton, Preston, who admitted assault causing actual bodily harm, was fined £750, ordered to pay £870 compensation and £250 costs.

His co-accused, 19-year-old Bell, of Blackpool, who also admits assault causing actual bodily harm, will be sentenced next month after being placed in Army custody for going absent without leave.