A FORMER Army corporal who kicked a girl in the face outside a Swindon nightclub because he thought she was taking pictures of him was struggling to adjust to civilian life, a court heard Jamie Hilton Hilton, of Queens Road, Carterton, has been jailed for six months after Swindon Magistrates heard he was on a suspended sentence for a drunken assault on door staff in 2014.

The ex-officer left the Army last year after tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, and had been outside Casbah, in John Street, at 1am on July 5 with his girlfriend when he began arguing with a group of 15-year-old boys.

His victim had been separated from her boyfriend and sister when Hilton, spotting her using her phone, kicked her hand and the face.

Police were already in the area responding to disorder from the group of boys, and arrested 31-year-old Hilton within minutes.

Keith Ballinger, prosecuting, told the court the group had been at the loading bay by Casbah at the time.

“She was on her own because her sister had walked off around the corner,” he said.

“Also in the loading bay was a group of 10 males who looked quite young, around 15 years old and there is some disorder because police are called.

“Also there, she says, was a male about 25 feet away from the group, with a female, and they appeared to be talking to the group.

“The female looked like she was telling the group of lads to go away, and the male was shouting in the direction of the female.

“The group of lads moved away and the pair appear to be arguing, and the male raised his fists in the air as though to punch her.

“Her phone was out and she was going to put it back in her bag when the male runs over to her from about 20 yards away and kicks her left hand where the phone was as hard as he could, causing the phone to fly out of her hand, landing on a shop roof nearby.

“Having done this he kicks her to the jaw on the left side of the face The male then runs off.

and as he does the female is crying and goes to try and find her friend to get some help, walking around to the front of Casbah.

“She then sees the male running back towards her and is immediately scared, but then sees he is being chased by police before being detained.”

When interviewed, Hilton said he had been out drinking all day and couldn’t remember kicking the girl to the face, but said, ‘if she said I did it, I probably did.’ Susan Bryant, defending, said: “Mr Hilton immediately took responsibility for what he describes as appalling behaviour.

“He is ashamed and had has expressed remorse for what he did, but is much more concerned for what he put his victim through, and has extended an apology to her.

“He left the Army in 2014 after achieving the rank of corporal. He had been in the Army since he was a teenager, and he has struggled to adjust to civilian life.

“The events of July 5 involved heavy drinking, being out socialising and getting swept up in events. He acted very stupidly and impulsively. It was not his intention to kick her, but to kick her phone.

“He has issues he must face in order to get out of the pattern of this behaviour. If he were to go into custody, the impact on his family would be severe.

“He is provider to a six-year-old and a newborn. His children and their mother rely on his financial support.”

The chairman of the bench, Margaret Penfound, said: “We can find no good reason why we should not activate your prison sentence.”

Hilton was jailed for two months for the historic assaults, and four months for the Casbah assault, to run consecutively.

He was also made to pay £150 court costs.