AFTER downing drinks to drown his sorrows, Justin Taplin drunkenly lashed out at a pub manager and an off-duty police officer.Taplin, 33, admitted two charges of assault by beating – even though he was so drunk he remembers almost nothing of the event.

AFTER downing drinks to drown his sorrows, Justin Taplin drunkenly lashed out at a pub manager and an off-duty police officer.

Taplin, 33, admitted two charges of assault by beating – even though he was so drunk he remembers almost nothing of the event.

Gareth Davies, prosecuting, told South East Suffolk Magistrates Court yesterday that Taplin, of Ipswich's Vernon Street, was drinking in the Old Rep in Tower Street on Saturday May 24, when the incident occurred.

Mr Davies said that Taplin smashed a bottle or a glass on the bar and then became very abusive. When bouncers tried to restrain him, Taplin punched the manager, James Blake, in the face.

Outside the pub, Taplin then directed abuse at two off-duty police officers, before approaching Pc Nicholas Rush from behind and punching him on the left-hand side of his face.

Both Mr Blake and Pc Rush suffered minor cuts and swelling.

Mr Davies said: "There were a lot of the commonly-found ingredients that you come across all too frequently.

"Pubs, alcohol-fuelled violence and people in authority having to deal with members of the public and being assaulted.

"Mr Blake is the manager of a pub, he is not a punch bag. Likewise, Mr Rush is not paid to be assaulted."

Tanya Thomas, mitigating, said: "The reason why this happened was because of an excessive amount of alcohol. He drank so much alcohol to cope with difficult family circumstances.

"He could not go to his brother's funeral because he could not get a visa to go to America."

Chairwoman of the Bench, Anne Walker, sentenced Taplin to a two-year community rehabilitation order and ordered him to go on an aggression management programme.

Taplin also has to pay £100 compensation each to both Mr Blake and Pc Rush and £55 in costs.