by Paul Hooper

A former Para who had a punch-up with an army buddy has been given a dressing down... by a judge.

Cameron Else, 24, of College Road, Margate had admitted assaulting para Wayne Ho, who was engaged to his step-sister.

But the judge, Recorder Vincent Moran QC told him: "This brings great shame on your regiment."

Prosecutor Carys Owen said that in September 2010 Wayne Ho went out to dinner with fiancee Rochelle Mandeville and friends.

"After the meal they went to the Royal Public House in Ramsgate Harbour where Else was. Both were members of the Parachute Regiment.

"There has been a long-running dispute between the men and they had not spoken to each other for a year prior to this incident."

She said later the two clashed, "squaring up to each other", and both ended up on the floor with "many punches being thrown".

Mr Ho was knocked unconscious and received a cut to an eye, she added.

Mr Nicholas Jones, defending, said Else was injured in a rocket attack in Afghanistan and had since left the army. He was now planning to start his own business... teaching martial arts.

He said Else said Mr Ho and he were former best friends and had trained together in the army.

The court heard that the two men had then fallen out and had left abusive and threatening messages against each other on social networking sites.

Mr Jones said Else hadn’t gone out that night intending to have a fight.

He said that Mr Ho had been the initial aggressor but Else accepts that he went too far.

Recorder Vincent told Else: "I acknowledge your history of service in the armed forces.

"But frankly this sort of public violence cannot be tolerated - even from an ex-paratrooper.

"In my view this brings great shame on you and your regiment."

He was given a four month jail sentence suspended for a year and ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work for the community. He was also given a curfew - requiring him to remain at his home between 8 pm and 6 am for the next three months.