Drunken Scots Guards left man with broken jaw

Two drunken soldiers who left a man with a broken jaw in a ‘disgraceful’ attack in London’s West End have walked free from court.

Scots Guards Brooklyn Dobbie and Baillie Simeon, both 22, assaulted Alexander Gillies outside a nightclub on Rathbone Place in January last year.

Simeon also shoved Isabelle Yearley out the way as she attempted to break up the fight, leaving her with grazes and scrapes to her knee.

The shamed soldiers admitted assault causing actual bodily harm while Simeon also admitted common assault against Ms Yearley at Southwark Crown Court.

Judge Peter Rook said: ‘This assault took place outside a nightclub in the West End in the early hours of the morning of 22 January last year.

‘You, Baillie Simeon, also pleaded guilty to assault by battery on Isabelle Yearley who was simply trying to intervene to try to stop the fighting.

‘This was a truly disgraceful incident.

‘You were both intoxicated with alcohol, the assault was in a public place and your victim suffered a non-displaced fracture of the left mandible, the jaw.

‘As a result, he had to go to hospital, he suffered considerable anxiety, he felt unsafe, and braces were needed to correct the biting point. He also suffered a nasty cut by his eye.’

Simeon had started to walk away after Mr Gillies shoved him in the chest with both hands, the court heard.

But he unleashed a series of blows when Mr Gillies continued the argument.

Judge Rook said: ‘What is clear, is that during the remaining part of the incident, you Mr Simeon, return to Mr Gillies to attack him by punching him a number of times.

‘Something you admitted to the author of your pre-sentence report was that this was a result of a loss of temper and that you assaulted Ms Yearley by pushing her.

‘During the second phase of the assault both of you were reigning punches onto Mr Gillies, you, Mr Dobbie were also kicking out.’

The judge said Dobbie punched Mr Gillies five times and kicked him to the body.

‘A clear inference I draw is that the nasty injury you caused to Mr Gillies happened during this part of the assault.

‘Your admission on the basis of plea, is that you accept your punching at this time was not a reasonable self-defence.

‘Indeed, it was certainly not, it was two to one and you were raining punches on him.’

Judge Rook told Simeon: ‘You are described by your platoon commander, Lt Col Murray, as a hard-working soldier.

‘There are difficulties at home which means you don’t have a strong support network there and you had suffered with problems with alcohol abuse.

‘You left school at 15 and its likely that alcohol has inhibited you this night and there will be little doubt the reason you acted out of character that night was because you were strongly affected by alcohol.

‘I’ve seen medical evidence in respect of your problems this year and indeed very recently due to alcohol clearly you need assistance in this area.

‘You’re both described by your platoon commander as having all the hallmarks of young soldiers who will do well in the Army.’

Dobbie, originally from Burnley, and Simeon, are both based at Wellington Barracks, 300 yards from Buckingham Palace.

They are due to be deployed to Oman for the next four months and were described as ‘hard working soldiers’ by their commander in court.

The pair each received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years, they must also undertake 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £500 in court costs.

They now face a court-martial.
ENDS