A demoted soldier who assaulted his ex-girlfriend outside a pub on Boxing Day has been spared an immediate prison sentence. Mason Gill, 23, appeared at Teesside Crown Court after admitting assault and breaching a suspended sentence order.
The court heard that Gill used a 'swiping kick' to knock his former partner to the ground outside The Black Bull pub in Yarm, North Yorkshire, after she rejected his hopes of reconciliation. CCTV footage captured the incident, which also saw Gill punch the woman's ex-boyfriend.
The victim initially refused to cooperate with police, claiming Gill had threatened to 'blow up her house' if she gave a statement. Gill has a prior conviction for assaulting another woman in Stockton in 2024, for which he received a suspended sentence. He was also convicted of violent disorder and burglary after taking part in the Middlesbrough riots last summer, including breaking into a Tesco store.
Despite his criminal record, Judge Graham Robinson opted for a community order, citing Gill's value to the Army. The judge noted that immediate custody would cost the Army 'a valuable soldier.' Gill had already been demoted from Lance Corporal to Craftsman and faces further military discipline, potentially including time in Colchester Military Corrective Training Centre.
Defence barrister Nigel Soppitt described Gill as 'a credit to his unit and regiment,' adding that he had helped a cellmate learn English while on remand and had been appointed an educational mentor for illiterate prisoners. Gill was sentenced to a two-year community order with 120 hours of unpaid work, fined £200, and ordered to pay £150 in costs.
The court also acknowledged Gill had previously attempted to rescue a woman from a house fire in Stockton in 2024, an act of bravery despite the woman later dying.
