A soldier who attacked a woman with a glass bottle on a night out after she refused to give him a high-five has been jailed.
Mark Griffiths, 37, was found guilty of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and of occasioning actual bodily harm following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court .
Griffiths, who served on two tours of Afghanistan with the Army , attacked Lauren Jones and her boyfriend Victor Mwarumba on a night in Chepstow on April 23 last year.
The sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard that Griffiths had been drinking heavily in the Kings Head pub in the early hours of the morning and was making a nuisance of himself.
He punched Ms Jones in the face after she refused to give him a high-five and then he punched Mr Mwarumba when he tried to intervene.
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Assault with bottle
The soldier then continued to assault Ms Jones and hit her with a bottle which broke on her forehead and left her with a “nasty lump” and bruises with small cuts.
Griffiths denied responsibility for the attack and maintained he was acting in self-defence but the jury found him guilty of the offences.
As a result of the attack Ms Jones’ front teeth were loosened and she is likely to have problems with her teeth in the future.
Defence barrister Hilary Roberts said his client had served on tours in Afghanistan with the Army in 2009 and 2012 and had suffered flashbacks and nightmares as a result as well as other difficulties.
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'Devastated'
He said: “This court has heard testimony about the defendant’s performance as a serving soldier.
“He would have been in line for a promotion during the last year which has been put on hold as a result of these procedures.
“He’s lost chances of deployment and financially that has affected him drastically.
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“This defendant’s fall from grace is quite dramatic. There will be automatic dishonourable discharge from the Army where he has been for the last eight years.
“He will lose pension rights. He has a young child and a partner and will suffer financially. He is devasated.”
Judge Rhys Rowlands, sitting at Mold Crown Court via video link, told Griffiths it was “inevitable” he would receive an immediate custodial sentence.
Loss of self control
He said: “You had far too much to drink, became aggressive, and lost the self-control instilled in you by the Army.
“You are an extremely well thought of by the Army and they say you have been a good example to younger riflemen.
“Lauren Jones was a young woman and was quite vulnerable compared to you as a trained soldier and you used a weapon against her, namely a bottle.
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“No court wants to send a young man such as yourself to prison and deprive the Army of a competent soldier but there can’t be one rule for servicemen and and another for young men who go out and cause drunken violence.
“There can’t be any excuse for going out, drinking to excess, and attacking a woman with a bottle in the street.”
Griffiths, of Regency Square, Bewsey, Warrington, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment.
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/woman-refused-high-five-him-11219861
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