A FORMER squaddie who hit a man around the back of the head with a house brick after a dispute over the war in Afghanistan has been spared jail.

Ex-soldier Martin Fletcher, 39, couldn't explain why he started making derogatory comments about the role of troops in the conflict, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Fletcher, of Coates Avenue, Barnoldswick, had undertaken three tours of Northern Ireland as a trooper and was a proud supporter of the military, his barrister Martin Hackett said.

He became embroiled in a stand-off with John Fairburn at The Station pub, in Church Street, Barnoldswick, which he visited after starting drinking earlier in the Rolls Royce social club.

Prosecutor David Macro said Mr Fairburn was stood at the bar, talking to a member of staff, when the defendant came in and started being abusive.

“Some of what he said was just mumblings but he offended Mr Fairburn because he was showing disrespect to soldiers,” said Mr Macro.

“Mr Fairburn had friend out in the Army in Afghanistan. He told Fletcher to change the subject because he was being offensive.”

The court heard that the pair briefly squared up and Fletcher took his shirt off. But the landlord asked Fletcher to leave and things calmed down.

Mr Macro said that a short time later Mr Fairburn was still standing at the bar when the landlord told him to 'watch out'.

Just seconds later Mr Fairburn was hit on the back of head with a house brick by Fletcher and fell to the ground bleeding. The victim was taken to Airedale Hospital and was off work for three days with concussion.

Mr Hackett, defending, said: “Mr Fletcher tells me he is very pro-Army and cannot understand why he would say anything negative about the soldiers.”

Fletcher, who was ‘sorry’ for causing the injury to Mr Fairburn, was the sole carer for his nine-year-old daughter, who faced going into care if he was jailed.

Judge Andrew Woolman said: “Fortunately the amount of damage that you did was not as bad as it might have been. It is a nasty offence where you picked up a weapon which could have proved to be very dangerous indeed.”

But the judge said the community would not be best served by depriving his daughter of her father's support. Fletcher was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with a 12-month supervision order and 180 hours community service.