A YOUNG man who was refused entry to a Workington bar because he was too drunk turned violent, punching a woman bouncer in the face.

The victim of Jordan Johnston’s “loutish” violence on September 11 last year suffered an eye injury that required stitching, Carlisle Crown Court heard. The 24-year-old defendant admitted an assault causing actual bodily harm.

The defendant, of Harrington Road, Workington, also admitted stealing five eggs from a petrol station in Aspatria.

Brendan Burke, prosecuting, described how on the night of the assault the defendant was refused entry to the Chasers Bar in Washington Street because he was clearly drunk.

When told this, he first leaned towards the woman bouncer, prompting her to gently push him away. But Johnston turned violent, lashing out and hitting the woman in the face.

After he was arrested, the defendant continued to be difficult, headbutting the inside of the police van cage and spitting so much that it had to be professionally cleaned.

Mr Burke went on to outline how the defendant next got into trouble on February 2 when he arrived at the petrol station shop in Market Square, Aspatria, at around 7.30pm.

“He was drunk and was swearing and abusive to the assistant,” said the barrister. “There were children in the shop. He also spat towards the shop assistant, who was asking him to leave.”

As he did so, Johnston grabbed a pack of eggs, smashing one inside the shop and smashing the rest outside. He was detained by an off-duty police officer who happened to be at the scene.

Anthony Parkinson, defending, said the offending had come after Johnston endured a “bad few years.” Having left school at 14, he first lost his father and then last year his grandmother died.

A background Probation Service report suggested he needed help with anger and his alcohol use and now, for the first time, the defendant faced a real risk of going to jail and this scared him, said Mr Parkinson.

The barrister said Johnston suffered from depression and had not worked for many years. “He describes his two dogs as his best friends in the whole world,” added the barrister.

Judge Richard Archer said the defendant deserved jail for his offending last September, but told Johnston: "I am just persuaded that the prospect of rehabilitation is a realistic one." The defendant could have no complaint were he to be jailed for his loutish behaviour, said the judge.

But the judge noted Mr Parkinson’s submission that the defendant had not in the past been given a court order focused on rehabilitation and thus he had decided to test the defendant with a suspended sentence.

He imposed nine months jail, suspended for 18 months. The sentence includes 30 rehabilitation activity days and a six month electronically monitored curfew, to run from 8pm to 6am.