A YOUNG North-East soldier's target practice session ended with a police officer being shot in the face.

Brent Jessop, 22, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

However, a judge at Durham Crown Court yesterday accepted that Jessop did not intend to deliberately harm anyone.

Geoff Taylor, prosecuting, said the squaddie was on leave on August 3 this year and was staying at his parent's home in St John's Terrace, Dipton, near Stanley.

Jessop had intended to go rabbit shooting with a friend and borrowed his pal's air rifle, said Mr Taylor.

The heard that Jessop, who joined the Army in September 2002, had undergone small arms training.

He was doing target practice in the back garden of his parent's house.

At the same time, PC Lee Jackson was on patrol in a marked police vehicle with a probationary officer and was driving along the back lane of St John's Terrace.

Because it was a warm day, he had the window of the car open as Jessop took aim at a clothes post in the garden. The shot missed its target, went through a hedge and hit PC Jackson in the cheek below the eye.

The officer sped off, called for assistance and later underwent surgery at the University Hospital of North Durham to have the pellet removed.

Eric Elliott, mitigating, said the odds against what happened on the day had to be a million to one.

Jessop acknowledged he had acted with total irresponsibility.

He told police: "I can't state how much I regret this and how much I would like to apologise.''

Jessop received 240 hours community service and was ordered to pay £1,000 compensation to PC Jackson.

The Recorder of Durham, Judge Richard Lowdon, sentencing Jessop, said that what he had done had been grossly wreckless and could have easily blinded the officer.

In view of the remorse shown by Jessop, the judge said he had decided against a custodial sentence.