A senior engineer in the Royal Navy has been locked up after he sparked a drunken punch up in a Chinese takeaway when a fellow sailor mocked his choice of noodles.
Petty Officer Kris Cullerton hit colleague Zeek Bowen inside a Chinese takeaway after he was told his choice of a £7 vermicelli was ‘a bit heavy after a night out’, a court martial heard.
The Air Engineering Technician (AET) told a military court he ended up with a bloody nose and swollen lip after his superior became ‘aggressive’ towards him and his colleague Shaun Bush.
AET Bowen said PO Cullerton called him a ‘smart arse’ and hit him, leaving his lip swollen and the facemask he was wearing ‘drenched’ in blood.
The 33-year-old denied any physical contact had taken place, but he was found guilty of one count of battery.
PO Cullerton now faces 90 days in military custody where a judge said he must address his ‘easy resort to violence’ and ‘relationship with alcohol’.
Petty Officer Kris Cullerton (pictured) faces 90 days in military custody after he hit his colleague Zeek Bowen, who told him his choice of a £7 vermicelli was ‘a bit heavy after a night out’, a court martial heard
Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, heard he has five previous convictions, two of ABH and three of battery - one of which included pushing a bouncer in a nightclub in 2018.
Although he retains his rank of Petty Officer, the judge warned it acts as an ‘incentive’ to ‘prove that he can live up to his rank’ and he faces a ‘severe reprimand’ if he comes before the court again.
The trial had heard that on October 2 last year, the sailors had gone to the Dolphin Inn and the Bull pub in Ilchester, Somerset, while stationed at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton, also known as HMS Heron.
The court was told PO Cullerton - a Senior Air Engineering
