A FORMER soldier who attacked a man he found in his girlfriend's home in the early hours of the morning has been spared jail.

Paul Varga said he saw red when he discovered Abigail Garlike and Martin Cundy in the front room of her Darlington home, last summer.

A court heard that Varga, a part-time doorman, had gone to check on his partner after hearing she had fallen over earlier in the night.

When he got to her house in Victoria Road, he found Mr Cundy, 30, and attacked him by repeatedly kicking and punching him.

Mr Cundy ran from the house, but fell over a fence in his escape and suffered a black eye, sore jaw, cut chin and split head.

Teesside Crown Court was told yesterday that Varga had been drinking most of the day, which was the day England played Portugal in the football World Cup.

Peter Sabiston, prosecuting, said Mr Cundy met Miss Garlike at Escapade nightclub, in Darlington, and went home with her at midnight.

Mr Cundy said the couple kissed before he fell asleep on the sofa, and he was woken by 39-year-old Varga attacking him.

Judge Les Spittle accepted yesterday that the assault, on July 2, was "totally and completely out of character".

He said: "It seems to me that everybody in this matter had been drinking to excess, and that may have led to certain behaviour with regard to some people and may very well have led to your reaction.

"Drunkenness, however, is no excuse for the use of violence against another person. I think you just lost your self-control. You just lost it completely. Whatever may have been the situation, he didn't deserve it.

"You came upon a scene and you drew certain conclusions, which may or may not have been right about what had been taking place. As you say, the red mist came over your eyes."

Varga, of Heathburn Court, Newton Aycliffe, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for a year.

Judge Spittle also ordered him to pay £500 compensation to Mr Cundy, court costs of £720 and carry out 100 hours of unpaid community work.

Barry Robson, mitigating, handed the judge glowing testimonials from Varga's boss and friends, and said: "He cannot excuse himself for what happened. It should not have happened.