A former soldier who glassed one woman and knocked out another in an unprovoked street assault has avoided a jail sentence.
Connor Tabner, 19, was told by a judge at a court hearing on July 7 that he could have "killed" the women who were not bothering anyone and had been "minding their own business".
James Neary, prosecutor at Llandudno court in Wales, said Tabner smashed a glass on a victim's head before proceeding to push her friend into a window, leaving the poor woman unconscious for approximately half a minute.
North Wales Live reports that the incident occurred after Bethany Copeland and Natalie Yates passed Tabner on the street in November 2020 as they went in search of a taxi.
The court heard that trouble erupted when Tabner voiced an insult to the pair. He had been misbehaving and acting up outside a pub, with the prosecutor stating that all of his previous convictions were for violent behaviour.
Nia Dawson, defending, said the case had made Tabner grow up and she urged the judge not to lock him up.
Tabner admitted two assaults causing actual bodily harm and was handed a 12-month suspended jail term. The court heard that he had since been dismissed from the army.
District Judge Gwyn Jones said the teenager's actions could have had fatal consequences: "You could quite easily have killed them."
The judge said Tabner had lashed out "causing, no doubt, the two young women to be utterly terrified as to what was going to happen".
Fortunately, no long-term injury was caused by the weapon, he added.
Tabner claimed drinking had affected his ability to remember what happened but that he had not drunk since the incident.
Judge Jones said: "It's extremely worrying someone getting so blind drunk that they have no recollection and act in this way. Your record of offending does you no favours.
“You have an ability to work very hard but also a trait within your character which means, when in drink, you may use violence.
"Your commanding officer gave you a sentence which led to your discharge from the army logistics corps."
Tabner will be tagged under an alcohol abstinence and monitoring order for 120 days and undergo rehabilitation.
He was banned from entering any pubs at Prestatyn and Rhyl for a year and must do 240 hours unpaid work. Compensation of £800 each was awarded to the women.
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