TWO tank soldiers rolled on the floor biting each other in a barrack block brawl at a Warminster army base, a court martial heard.

During a two-day trial, an Army court at Bulford Camp on Salisbury Plain was told one of the men had part of an ear bitten off.

Trooper Craig Williams, of the Royal Tank Regiment, attached to The Black Watch, denied inflicting grievous bodily harm on Trooper Lance Rugg.

After an hour's deliberations the court cleared him of causing grievous bodily harm but convicted him on a lesser charge of actual bodily harm.

The 19-year-old, who had admitted another offence of assaulting Trooper Rugg by beating him in an earlier incident, was sentenced to eight months detention. Judge Advocate Jack Bayliss warned that further incidents could end his Army career.

Matthew Scott, defending, said Williams had acted in self-defence. Captain Amanda Brown, prosecuting, said the two men were involved in an incident at the John Barleycorn pub in Warminster when Trooper Williams' drink was spilled, prompting him to punch Trooper Rugg below the left eye.

A brawl broke out later at the Land Warfare Centre where Trooper Rugg had part of his ear bitten off and Trooper Williams was bitten on the arm. Trooper Rugg was taken to Warminster Hospital but doctors were unable to sew the piece of ear back on.