Soldier traumatised by service in Afghanistan is spared jail by judge

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said Luke Davison had served his country with exceptional distinction and bravery while in Afghanistan with the 3rd Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment.

Davison, 23, who is based at barracks in Wiltshire, threw a beer glass at a man during an incident outside the Albert pub in Keighley in December.

Bradford Crown Court heard that the victim suffered a cut to his forehead which required stitches, but after he was arrested by police Davison said he had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder following his service in Afghanistan. He told police he had been drinking in various pubs but had no real recollection of the incident itself.

Davison pleaded guilty to a wounding charge and could have faced a prison sentence of about a year, but Judge Durham Hall said locking him up would be “a cowardly act.”

The judge said: “You have seen things that no young man out of service can possibly imagine and have been deeply wounded mentally in consequence. It was as a direct consequence of your injury, your post traumatic stress disorder, that you committed this offence.”

The judge said the country owed Davison a debt and he imposed a community order which includes a requirement to take part in a specialist programme for post traumatic stress. Davison will also have to do 80 hours unpaid work for the community and pay a victim surcharge of £60.