A SOLDIER who admitted throwing a punch at a fellow town centre reveller has been cleared of affray.

Grant Barrow, 26, was arrested alongside fellow soldiers Tom Wainwright and Mathew Haigh after the Royal Military Police were called to Fashion cafe in Colchester.

A fight had broken out between the three soldiers and a separate group of friends earlier in the night.

One man was punched in the face and a woman was left with a bloody nose following the altercation.

Wainwright later admitted one count of affray and two counts of assault by beating.

Haigh also admitted one count of affray.

Barrow, from Colchester, denied a count of affray and said he threw a punch in self defence.

Following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, he was cleared of the charge.

The court heard evidence from several witnesses involved in the altercation which took place in an alleyway off Colchester High Street.

Kyle Price, who was enjoying a night out with friends and colleagues following a shift at Yates bar, told the court one of the soldiers attacked his friend, punching him to the floor before pinning him down and continuing the attack.

The incident unfolded in the early hours of February 6 last year.

Giving evidence from the witness box, Barrow admitted he had thrown a punch at one of the group, but described it as a “pre-emptive strike” made in self defence.

He denied any further aggression.