A 42-year-old man who sparked a brawl between soldiers and locals in a town centre pub has been fined £700.

Wayne Philbrow, of March Street, Warminster, will also have to pay £500 costs after admitting being responsible for starting the punch-up which left a man unconscious.

Adam Vaitilingam, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how the incident unfolded at the John Barleycorn pub in Warminster on Sunday, September 7 last year.

Philbrow, who one witness estimated to be 28-stone in weight, upset the soldiers by barging his way through a crowded smoking area in the pub.

Mr Vaitilingam said onlookers told how he was brushing people out of the way before it all ‘kicked off’ in the pub.

He said one of the soldiers took umbrage at what Philbrow had been doing and poured a drink over him before the fracas started.

During the brawl, which lasted about five minutes, drinker Liam Dyas was left unconscious after being struck by another man.

When he was spoken to by the police, Philbrow admitted behaving ‘a little bit out of order’ but denied striking anyone.

Philbrow admitted a charge of affray.

He had initially been charged with unlawful wounding but that was dropped when he admitted the public order offence.

Mike Jeary, defending, said his client was recently divorced and as a consequence has no savings and £50,000 of debts.

He told the court Philbrow is a partner in a catering business in the Warminster area earning about £2,000 a month.

Passing sentence, Judge Douglas Field said: “You are 42, you shouldn’t be behaving like this.

“You know it was wrong to drink too much and get involved in this incident. Fortunately it was short lived.

“Any incident spilling out from a public house when people have had too much to drink is treated very seriously.”