Sex Offender Hunted

A convicted sex offender is being hunted by police after flouting a court order and going AWOL.

The Metropolitan Police's Jigsaw Unit in Hillingdon, west London are keen to trace Jason Elton John Waller, 37, (pictured) – aka John Collier – who was last seen in their borough in March.

He is required under a Sexual Offences Act order to notify police weekly as an offender registered as 'no fixed abode' and suspected of sleeping rough.

Waller is described as white, of heavy build, 5ft 8" tall with light blue eyes.

He has a tattoo of a scroll on his left arm with the word "Joanne".



He is known to ride a push bike and to travel around the U.K and Ireland.



Anyone who has seen Waller or knows of his whereabouts, or has any information regarding Waller is asked to contact the Jigsaw Unit at Hillingdon Borough on 020 8246 1719. 

Investigators 'Blagged' Personal Info Hunting Debtors

L - Barry Spencer  R - Adrian Stanton 

The bosses of a private investigation company and their staff illegally 'blagged' sensitive information from utility companies, banks and other institutions on 1,900 occasions in just over a year, a jury were told today.

While hunting people who owed unpaid bills, community charges and other debts sensitive, personal information was extracted during a series of telephone calls from ICU Investigations Ltd on behalf of their 330 clients.

The company's director and sole shareholder Barry Spencer, 41, of Hook Common, Hook, Hampshire and former company secretary Adrian Stanton, 40, of Vicarage Road, Sunbury-on-Thames deny conspiring to illegally obtain information.

The company, of Legacy Centre, Hanworth Trading Estate, Hampton Road West, Feltham also deny the same summons brought under the Data Protection Act.

Prosecutor Mr. Ben Summers told the Isleworth Crown Court jury: "They would trick the people they were calling at utility companies and the television licensing authority etc into disclosing information that involved personal data.

"That information would be used to complete reports on people they were trying to trace and then sent to ICU's clients.

"This case is about blagging, getting information about people by deceiving others and both defendants and ICU were involved in this practise.

"All three agreed to systematically commit offences under the Data Protection Act as part of the business they provided as a tracing agent."

Companies contacted for information include Vision Express; npower; E.ON;  British Gas as well as GP surgeries.

ICU clients include the Leeds Building Society; Brighton and Hove City Council and Mint Credit.

"During the period somewhere in the order of nineteen hundred separate offences were committed with blagging phone calls being made," explained Mr. Summer.

"Personal details were blagged out of the people who were contacted."

Five members of staff have already admitted the conspiracy and will be sentenced after the trial.

A favourite method employed was to call an organisation, posing as the person they were trying to trace, and confirm details such as addresses and contact numbers.

"The defendants were involved in agreeing these calls should be made and through them the company is also responsible.

"They ran and administered the company and its day to day operation.

"Telephone calls were routinely made that did breach the Data Protection Act because they were blagging information from people by misrepresenting who they were and what they were after."

ICU clients include law firms, insurance firms and local authorities chasing bad debts.

"It is inconceivable the offences could have been committed without Mr. Spencer and Mr. Stanton knowing what was going on," added Mr. Summers.

They have pleaded not guilty, along with the company, to conspiring to obtain data, without consent, between April 1, 2009 and May 13, 2010.

The trial is expected to last three weeks………..  

Father And Son Accused Of Blackmailing Businessman With Raunchy Pics

A father and son blackmailed a company boss with compromising pictures of his married business colleague being straddled by a half-naked woman in a Dubai hotel room after a £180 million per month oil deal turned sour, a court heard today.

They demanded £35,000 to prevent the images being plastered all over the internet - damaging the international company's reputation - and shown to the subject's wife the Isleworth Crown Court jury were told.

Karim Ashikali, 57, (pic.bottom) and Mohamedraza Ashikali, 26, (pic.top) both of Dean Drive, Stanmore claim the blackmail complaint was invented to cut them out of the lucrative oil deal and maintain Mohamedraza - known as Mo - is owed £35,000 in wages by the company.

They have pleaded not guilty to making an unwarranted demand, with menaces, against the businessman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, between November 6 and November 20, last year.

The businessman and the Ashikali's had a meeting at the company's HQ in South Kensington on November 6 after a fruitless investment trip by both defendant's to Dubai resulted in Mohamedraza parting company with the consulting firm.

The jury heard the company boss's colleague - identified as Mr. B - was photographed stripped to the waist in a Dubai hotel room with a half-naked mystery woman on top of him, wearing only a bra and knickers.

"When they came in Mo held his phone up and showed me the pictures.

"They were of Mr. B with a woman sitting astride him, taken from two different angles," explained the businessman. "The only reason the Ashikali's came to me was to discredit him."

Mohamedraza also allegedly threatened to tell Mr. B's wife her husband was enjoying a fling with an attractive young female member of staff at the company and had a recording of the employee confirming the affair.

"He said he was going to post the images on the internet.

"He was never owed any outstanding salary. That is money he wanted to keep quiet, to not tell Mr. B's wife."

The Ashikali's failed to find investors for the company while in Dubai, but Karim claimed the Saudi Arabian consul-general could allocate them three million barrels of oil a month - a deal that would generate huge profits.

However, the businessman says the deal was flawed and Mr. B agreed with him, denying there was any motivation to "cut out" the Ashikali's.

With the consul-general demanding nine-tenths of the commission the businessman told the court: "It would have been illegal. Totally illegal."

He also told the court his company "lost complete faith" in the Ashikali's efforts to source investment in the middle-east.

"Some of those investors were not investors at all. They were trying to take our money."

The businessman said he reported the Ashikali's after cash demands were made following the meeting when the compromising pictures were revealed.

"We discussed it after receiving an email saying Karim wanted money and then we went to the police. We took it as a demand."

He said Karim emailed him claiming time was running out to stop his son going public, warning: 'I don't think I can hold him (Mo) off much longer!!'

The trial continues………

Benefit Cheat Ordered To Repay Cash

A benefit cheat, who ripped-off taxpayers, has been ordered by a court to repay the cash he swindled or do time behind bars.

Laurance Harris, 60, (pictured) returned to Isleworth Crown Court for Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings.

The post-sentence hearing was necessary to calculate the defendant's criminal benefit and identify any assets he has, which can be used to pay compensation.

The court ruled Harris must pay £47,000 compensation within six months or serve twelve months imprisonment in default.

Suburban Bloodbath: Ex-Boyfriend Strangles Schoolteacher After Stabbing Her Parents

A "mild-mannered" primary school assistant, who bought three kitchen knives and stabbed his ex-girlfriend's parents  so he could strangle their daughter during a horrific suburban nightmare has been jailed for sixteen years.

Luke Nicholson, 29, (pic.top) who had never been in trouble with the police before, stabbed his former girlfriend's father - severing an artery - on the doorstep of the family's home, slashed the mother and finally throttled ex Cheryl Slim, 30, in the back garden.

Schoolteacher Cheryl, (pic.bottom l.) who had leapt from an upstairs bathroom window, played dead and Nicholson only released his grip and fled when the next-door neighbour tried to smash through the garden fence to stop him.

Nicholson, of Athill Court, St. Johns Road, Sevenoaks, who assisted primary school children with special needs, pleaded guilty to three counts of grievous bodily harm, with intent, in relation to Robert Slim, 59, (pic.bottom r.) Annette Slim, 55, and Cheryl on January 24.

A charge of attempting to murder Cheryl was dropped by the prosecution, who found the defendant had attempted to make Facebook contact with his ex of five years, and made other internet searches for her in the period before the attack.

Croydon Crown Court was told the defendant rode his moped twenty miles in the snow, buying the knives from Tesco's on the way, and ended up outside 15 Ernest Grove, Elmers End, Beckenham - the Slim's family home, where he had once spent an enjoyable Christmas years before.

Mr. Slim described Nicholson as having a "vacant emotionless expression" when he answered the door to him and was stabbed in the upper arm without warning and sustained further injuries as they fought in the hallway.

Mrs Slim emerged from the living-room, where the couple had been watching television, and smashed Nicholson over the head with a plant pot several times without effect.

"He turned his attention to Mrs Slim and she tried to grab the knife from his hand," explained prosecutor Mr. Patrick Moran. "In the ensuing struggle the defendant lashed out at her several times with the knife."

She suffered severed tendons to one of her hands as she successfully prized the knife from Nicholson, who then began hunting the house for Cheryl, leaving a trail of bloody footprints up to the bathroom, where she had locked herself in.

"Fearing that someone would break through the bathroom door to find her she opened the bathroom window and climbed out of it," added Mr. Moran.

"The window overlooked the back garden and it was into that garden Miss Slim fell as she tried to lower herself from the edge.

"No sooner had she got up than the defendant tackled her back to the ground and smashed a hard object against her head - possibly a garden ornament.

"The defendant then dragged Miss Slim down to the end of the garden, further from her parents, who had no idea that the defendant had her, quite literally, in his grip.

"She struggled on the ground underneath the defendant as he gripped her neck and it was only at that stage that she believed she recognised her attacker as a former boyfriend.

"She was struggling to breathe as she felt her windpipe being crushed and sought to defend herself by clawing at the defendant's face.

"Miss Slim could do little more to defend herself, as she felt as if she was losing consciousness, and decided to stop struggling and lie still."

After the neighbour disturbed the heavily bloodstained Nicholson he made his way back through the blood-splattered house, past Mr. Slim, who had collapsed on the kitchen floor from excessive bleeding, and out the front door.

Police stopped him a few street away and an obviously drunken Nicholson said: "I don't know what you are talking about," with officers describing him as being in an "agitated" state.

Miss Charlotte Newell, defending, said: "What led this mild-mannered, gentle young man to behave this way may never be clear.

"His family are devastated by the havoc that has been wreaked. His actions do not square with the young man the family raised."

The court heard Nicholson attended London Metropolitan University, which recently awarded him a diploma and Miss Newell added: "His true nature was not on display that evening.

"His relationship with Miss Slim did not end well, but he did not bear her any ill will and even though she had been on his mind this exploded from nothing. There is no real grudge against the Slim's."

Judge Stephen Waller heard Nicholas had abused alcohol and cannabis throughout his adult life and announced: "I think he poses a risk to any person with whom he has a grievance while under the influence of drink and drugs.

"There was carnage in the hallway of that suburban house," he added. "This was a pre-meditated sustained attack on three defenceless people in their own home.

"They will find it difficult, if ever, to recover from such a horrifying experience.

"There is nothing in your background that gives any clue as to why you acted in that dreadful fashion that night."

The probation service found there was a "high likelihood" that Nicholson would re-offend and a restraining order was made to protect the Slim family once he is paroled.

Judge Waller told Nicholson he would have to serve at least two-thirds of the sentence and would be subjected to an extended licence period of an additional five years.

Paedo Who Trawled The Internet For Child Porn Convicted Of Touching Two Young Girls

A paedophile, who hunted the internet for child porn, has been convicted of having “acted out his fantasies with two girls” - sexually abusing one of them on his lap during a game of 'It'.

Father-of-two Peter Ross, 56, of Camrose, Beech Drive, Kingswood, Tadworth, Surrey claimed the girls, who were aged between twelve to thirteen and nine to eleven years-old respectively at the time, simply invented the allegations.

He is now in custody and will be sentenced on November 8 at Croydon Crown Court.

Prosecutor Mr. Tom Wilkins told the jury the defendant downloaded child pornography on his computer and: “acted out his fantasies with two girls.”

The offences took place at Ross's former Croydon home, which he and his family suddenly abandoned when he was initially reported to police in 2006, the court heard.

“The defendant made the first complainant play a game called 'It' and when she was 'It' she would have to sit on his lap and that is when he touched her,” explained Mr. Wilkins.

“Sometimes his hand would go down her trousers and this happened quite a few times and sometimes he would put his fingers inside her vagina.

“She said it hurt and also says the defendant would play with himself while undressed.”

The victim reported Ross to the police and he abandoned his home so quickly the doors were left open, added the prosecutor.

The second victim found herself alone in the property with the defendant, explained Mr. Wilkins. “He pulled her jeans down and rubbed her just above the vagina.

“He says both girls are lying, that they have made it up.

“When the police went to arrest him for these allegations that the girls made they searched his home computer and on it there were forty or so indecent images of girls downloaded from the internet.

“The computer had been used since 2007 to search for the same imagery.”

The 2006 investigation was not pursued, but after the allegations were discussed on Facebook in 2010 by the complainants they came forward and made statements to police.

Ross was convicted on two counts of indecently assaulting the older girl between May 1, 2004 and June 13, 2006 and indecently assaulting the younger girl between May 1, 2004 and May 20, 2006.

He was also found guilty of six counts of making indecent images on or before July 24, last year.

Hong Kong Race Ding Dong In Restaurant 'Ping Pong'

A drunken troublemaker racially abused the manageress of a Chinese restaurant just two weeks after making a 999 bomb hoax call when another eatery refused to serve him.

Christopher North, 38, shouted: "Who the f*** do you think you are? You're not from this country, I am," while demanding a drink at the restaurant's bar.

North, of Roundhay Drive, Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland pleaded guilty to racially aggravated threatening behaviour at the Ping Pong restaurant, Westbourne Grove, Bayswater on July 6.

He also admitted communicating false information, namely a bomb hoax, on June 23 after he was refused service at cafe in Leicester Square.

Prosecutor Mr. Tom Gill told Hammersmith Magistrates' Court North entered Ping Pong at 6.30pm and sat on a stool at the bar.

The restaurant's employees were either from Hong Kong or had connections with the former UK territory.

"He was noticed by staff to be very drunk and was asking for a beer and the female restaurant manager was called over to deal with him.

"He kept asking where she and the staff were from and said: 'F*** off,' and the police were called and the defendant was arrested."

At the time he was still being hunted by police for a hoax bomb call to the emergency services and was eventually traced to his home address on July 29.

"He made the call at 3.52am and said he was the Real IRA and that there was a bomb in a cafe in Leicester Square," explained Mr. Gill.

"The recording was seized and the defendant was identified.

"The call was in the early hours of the morning in a busy part of London, but many places would have been shut and I have no details of any upheaval.

"He said he was angry at not being served in a restaurant because he was drunk."

Mr. Alexander Gorst, defending, told the court: "Mr. North has bi-polar disorder and when it is not managed correctly this results in manic periods.

"He has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act in the past and when he was released from hospital in May he was readmitted to the community without receiving the treatment he had previously.

"Without that support network he was drinking, taking legal highs and not taking his medication, which created the toxic combination that resulted in these offences.

"His family have moved Mr. North back home to Teeside and he resides at the family home and is under a community treatment programme.

"Mr. North and his family have taken steps to ensure this will not be repeated.

"He doesn't drink anymore and does not take drugs and is under supervision through his family and care worker.

"He is aware of the perils of living alone in London and at the time of these offences he was a man of good character."

District Judge Andrew Sweet sentenced North to four months imprisonment, suspended for twelve months, for the bomb hoax, conditionally discharged him for twelve months for the race offence and made a six-month supervision order.

"The bomb hoax is one the courts take very seriously and most would send you to prison immediately," he told North.

"One can only imagine the amount of mayhem caused by your telephone call and I see no reason why anyone should be subjected to racist remarks, it is unacceptable and it is abusive."

North was also ordered to pay an £80 victim surcharge.

Youngest Member Of Paedophile Family Facing Prison

A member of a notorious Essex family of paedophiles, who admitted trying to meet a ten year-old boy for sex, was told yesterday that he will probably be joining his father and uncle by having a stretch in prison.

David Michael Lane, 24, of Hubberd Road, Little Canfield, Dunmow was arrested after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Child Protection Command linked him to the non-existent boy in south London.

The first-time offender pleaded guilty at Inner London Crown Court (pictured) that on October 8 he arranged or facilitated an act that involved the commission of an offence, namely oral rape, and was remanded in custody for sentencing on January 15, next year.

“It gives me no great pleasure to say this, but given the sentencing guidelines imprisonment is almost inevitable,” announced Judge Roger Chapple, referring to a three-year starting point for such offences.

Lane's lawyer Miss Ann-Marie Talbot told the court: “Mr. Lane's father was convicted and imprisoned for sexual abuse and Mr. Lane's uncle was imprisoned for sexually abusing a child.

“He has been co-operating with the police and certain things have been said that, in my opinion, makes a psychological report necessary.

“Mr. Lane is entitled to credit for his guilty plea and the psychological report may give a background as to why this offending took place.

“A suspended prison sentence with local community support may be a better way of dealing with Mr. Lane rather than locking him up and throwing away the key.

“That is not what Mr. Lane wants and it is not in the best interests for him.”

Judge Chapple told Lane: “Do not read too much into the fact I am adjourning your sentencing for reports. The final sentence may well be a custodial sentence.”

Martial Arts Instructor Had 76,000 Sex Pics Of Kids

A Tae Kwon Do master, who taught the martial art to children in schools and church halls, was sentenced yesterday for secretly collecting 76,000 sick sexually-explicit images of youngsters for eight years.

David Crump, 55, tried to kill himself after his fiancé exposed the sordid truth, but the ligature he used to hang himself snapped and his partner came to his aid.

Crump, of Fieldgate Close, Monks Gate, Horsham, West Sussex pleaded guilty to eighteen counts of possessing and making indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornography on or about March 7.

He is the co-founder of Kent-based Crown Tae Kwon Do, and also taught children in the back garden of his former suburban home in Mount Pleasant, Biggin Hill, Westerham.

Prosecutor Miss Shahnaz Ahmed told Croydon Crown Court Crump's fiancé Natasha Foskett discovered a suspicious link on his computer and told his adult children what she had found.

"The defendant then went to the police and surrendered himself, his hand had been forced, and he told the officers: 'I'm a sick man, I need help.'

"The police then seized a computer tower and laptop."

Officer stopped categorising the images once they had reached 32,981 and 66% of those were at Level One, at the lower end of the scale, but there were 3,707 at Level Four and 383 at Level Five - the most serious.

Crump's lawyer Mr. Robin Ghosh said: "Following two suicide attempts he is on a heavy dose of anti-depressants.

"When the material was discovered he did not want it to go any further, but then he decided he was going to have to face the music."

Crump handed himself into Bromley Police Station, confessed to officers and then moved out of the family home.

"He did not receive any sexual gratification from these images, which he built-up over eight years after a breakdown when he was made redundant.

"It became an addiction and he still stands by that statement today.

"There were also never any suggestions of issues with the children he was teaching during the Tae Kwon Do lessons."

A probation officer who prepared a pre-sentence report felt Crump failed to take adequate responsibility for the offences.

His July wedding was scrapped, however Mr. Ghosh revealed there were hopes his client would re-unite with his ex-partner.

"There are plans for them to re-engage as a family unit."

First-time offender Crump was sentenced to twelve months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to perform 100 hours community service work.

Judge Jeremy Gold QC told him: "This was a depressing obsession with child pornography and extreme pornography.

"You are perpetrating the sexual abuse of children by your actions.

"Your relationship, if not finished, is on hold, you have lost your Tae Kwon Do business and are living an insular life.

"This is an absolutely enormous quantity of material, one of the highest amounts I have ever dealt with. Make sure you keep clear of this filthy material in the future."

Crump must also sign the sex offenders register and a ten-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order, which restricts his internet use and contact with children, was made.

He must also attend an internet sex offenders treatment programme and was disqualified from working with children.

Cocaine Smuggler Caught After Canada 'Shopping' Trip

A Blackburn cocaine smuggler, who stepped off a flight with £896,000 worth of the drug hidden inside the bases of her two suitcases, was jailed for five years today.

Self-employed pub manager Jacqueline Millar, 50, of Livingstone Road was stopped by the UK Border Agency at Gatwick Airport after a week-long trip to Toronto, Canada.

She pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to importing a total of 4.98 kilos of cocaine split into two quantities of 66% and 69% purity on September 1.

Prosecutor Mr. Hamish Reid told the court: "The cocaine was in the bases of two suitcases carried by Millar.

"She said she was travelling alone and had gone to Toronto for a week for shopping.

"The suitcases were searched and the base of one of them seemed very bumpy and heavy and an incision revealed a white powder that tested positive for cocaine."

Millar made no comment when formally questioned, but said on the way to the custody suite: "I knew it was there, but not where. Was it a tip-off?"

First-time offender Millar,s lawyer Mr. Dennis Kavanagh said: "This is a plain-speaking, realistic lady and her position has always been: 'I'm guilty. I'm not making any excuses.'

"She has been as frank as she can be and is not going to use her age or family circumstances as an excuse.

"She was working hard in the bar trade for many years as a self-employed relief manager and fell into financial difficulties.

"There were rent and council tax arrears and she gave into a stupid temptation," added Mr. Kavanagh.

"She is not going to be in contact with her son and she has not been in contact with her family while she has been on remand at Bronzefield Prison, Surrey.

"She has not asked me to labour these points, but she is going to miss much of her son's young adulthood and she has a sister who is ill with cancer."

Judge Jeremy Gold QC told Millar: "When you take these sort of risks you are playing for high stakes and if you are caught importing cocaine certain consequences follow.

"You were hardly a sophisticated drugs courier given your age and your good character."

Six Years For Paedo Who Had Sex With His 12 Year-Old 'Girlfriend'

A paedophile, convicted of rape after having sex with his twelve year-old girlfriend, who became “infatuated” with him after months of grooming, was jailed for six years today.

Anthony Bailey, 23, made threats to the girl and told her if the truth ever came out she should say she had sex with his innocent brother.

Engaged Bailey, of 6 Dunheved Road West, Thornton Heath, whose fiancé is due to have triplets in three months time, was convicted of raping the girl at an address in Rutherwick Rise, Coulsdon on November 26, 2011.

Croydon Crown Court Judge Jeremy Gold QC told him: “You befriended her and that friendship led to full sexual intercourse.

“You did not use force and she did consent, but you took advantage of her vulnerability to groom her over the proceeding months and committed this offence.

“She was infatuated with you and not mature enough to deal with your sexual advances.

“You were not sexually inexperienced, but maybe you would not have found it easy to socialise with people your own age.”

Prosecutor Mr. Nicholas Alexander told the court: “The aggravating features are that there were threats to the victim if she reported the incident and she was told to say it was the defendant's brother.”

Bailey was cleared of a further three counts and his defence said he was not a “predatory paedophile” but an: “intelligent hard-working man who will find a lengthy prison sentence devastating.”

He was ordered to sign the sex offenders register and a Sexual Offences Prevention Order was made restricting his contact with children.

Police Appeal: Alleged Wannabe Robber On Run

A woman accused of two attempted robberies in west London is still on the run after jumping bail.

Samantha Brooks, 28, (pictured) of Heritage Close, Uxbridge failed to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on August 8.

She was charged on May 4 and two counts of criminal damage are also alleged at the same time two days earlier.

Samantha Brooks is described as a slim female who wears her dark hair in a very short style, has slightly protruding front teeth and wears male clothing.

She is known to frequent Uxbridge, west London and recent information is that she may be in the Great Yarmouth, Norfolk and East Anglia areas.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Uxbridge Jigsaw Unit on 0208 246 1719, the police non-emergency line on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Online Paedo Locked-Up For Raping 12 Year-Old Girl

A paedophile, who groomed a 12 year-old girl online then encouraged her to perform a sex act on him in a stairwell when they met for a 'date' will remain locked-up under the Mental Health Act.

Sami Tesfay, 22, (pictured) from Lewisham, south-east London made contact with the girl on a social networking site and arranged to met her and a friend on January 19.

They met again and four days later on January 23 he persuaded her to go to his home address, where the sex offence took place.

He was convicted at Woolwich Crown Court of raping the girl and was sentenced to remain under a section 37 hospital order and was given a section 41 indefinite restriction order.

Detective Constable James Taylor of Sapphire, which invesigates sex crimes said: "Tesfay used a social networking site to befriend his victim.

“He groomed her, gained her trust and exploited her for his own needs.

“The victim has now seen him convicted for what he did to her. 



"This case highlights the negative side of social media and the need for parents to be vigilant around who their children are communicating with online.

“This successful outcome I hope should encourage other victims of sexual crime to come forward and report what has happened to them." 



Detective Chief Inspector Pete Thomas, said: "Tesfay befriends vulnerable children and exploits them. In this case the victim was beguiled by his attention and belief that he was sincere about their relationship. 



"He has now been found guilty and will be held in a secure facility to prevent harming others.

“Anyone who has been a victim of rape should come forward and tell us what has happened so we and other agencies can provide them with the necessary support."

Army Boxer's Knockout Punch During Boozy Mini-Cab Row

A former soldier, who boxed for the British Army team, knocked a man unconscious with a single blow during a late-night row over a mini-cab.

William Hutton, 22, of Well Cottage, Patch Hill, Munstone, Hereford served in Afghanistan, but found himself arrested for the fourth time in two years for alcohol-related disorder.

He pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to assaulting Brian Ford, causing him actual bodily harm, outside Sutton railway station on December 9, last year.

The court heard Hutton self-medicated his post-traumatic stress disorder with alcohol, and had three convictions in 2011 for disorderly behaviour.

“This was a single punch that knocked the victim unconscious and resulted in him being taken to hospital by ambulance,” Judge Stephen Waller told the defendant.

“You have experience as a boxer and a fist in these circumstances can be as serious as a weapon.

“All of this was the result of a trivial dispute over a taxi and was all your fault.

“You were drinking excessively and you acted in a reckless, violent fashion without justification.”

Prosecutor Mr. Andrew Mazibrada told the court Hutton followed-up with several more blows aimed at the prone Mr. Ford, which the defendant disputes.

The victim also applied for an additional £515 compensation to replace his clothes, which had been ruined as a result of the attack.

“The ambulance crew attended and almost all of Mr. Ford's clothing had to be cut off,” explained the prosecutor.

“Mr. Hutton was a boxer in the army, he represented he army,” said Mr. Ronald Bostwick, defending. “It was just a single punch he did not need to do anything else.

“With the Queensbury Rules in his mind he did not have to strike Mr. Ford again.

“He can fit in as a good citizen. What happened that night was an aberration in his improving control over his life, his control over alcohol and improving mental condition as the memories of Afghanistan fade bit by bit.

“This young man has served his country and he has expressed his remorse and he regrets the pain and injury that Mr. Ford subsequently suffered and has told me he is sorry for what he has done.”

Judge Waller ruled it made no difference to sentencing whether Hutton landed one or several blows and told him: “You served your country in difficult and dangerous circumstances as other young men have.

“I have read the medical reports and you are suffering post-traumatic stress disorder and sought refuge by excessive drinking and combined with a quick temper that has led you to your fourth experience before the courts.”

Hutton was sentenced to a twelve-month community order, which includes 80 hours community service work and was ordered to pay Mr. Ford £500 compensation and £250 costs.