Photo: Rachel Dorrian
Lance Corporal Rachael Dorrian, 24, hit a man and woman with a single punch having been thrown out of a nightclub in Manchester
GI Jane, the face of female squaddies in Afghanistan hit a man and woman with ONE punch after she was ejected from a night club
Story after the cut ....
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Lance Corporal Rachael Dorrian, 24, was partying with two friends at a bar
She and victim Matthew Lowe were thrown out of bar following a scuffle
Once outside, she punched Mr Lowe, leaving him with a broken nose
With the same punch, she hit Jennifer James leaving her with swollen eye
A soldier nicknamed 'GI Jane' when she became the face of female soldiers on the Afghanistan frontline hit a man and a woman with a single punch after being ejected from a nightclub.
Lance Corporal Rachael Dorrian, 24, a former British judo champion, went 'berserk' and was 'like a mental wild person' when she and her two male friends were barged into on the dancefloor.
A court heard how, after a scuffle on the floor, she punched Matthew Lowe in the face after they had been booted out, leaving him with a broken nose.
In the same punch, she ending up hitting Jennifer James, which saw her eye 'start ballooning and turning purple'.
The incident happened outside the New York New York bar in Manchester's Gay Village while she was on leave from the army.
Dorrian was convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault at Manchester Crown Court.
Rachel Dorrian
The 24-year-old broke Matthew Lowe's nose with a single punch and also hit Jennifer James behind him
In an unusual move, a judge allowed her to be sentenced 156 miles away at Bulford military camp in Salisbury, Wiltshire, where it is believed she is based.
Dorrian, who denied assault, was conditionally discharged for three years and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge.
Dorrian, who serves with the Queen's Royal Hussars, had been one of a handful of female soldiers at Lashkar Gah base at Helmand Province.
She was previously based in Germany before being posted to Afghanistan.
She worked as a company clerk with her regiment but also helped with searches of female suspects and regularly headed out on patrol in Helmand with her male colleagues.
She was dubbed 'GI Jane' after the movie character played by Demi Moore in the 1997 movie, directed by Ridley Scott.
In an interview with her local paper at the time, she said: 'I feel like I'm doing a good job and I'm really valued within the company...you get used to being in the company of blokes in the Army.'
The assault happened on September 18, 2014, when Dorrian had been out partying with two friends in Manchester.
A fight broke out when someone accidentally barged into them on the dancefloor of the bar.
Witness Daniel Hindram, who had been celebrating his birthday with partner Matthew Lowe, recalled: 'We were just going past them and somebody pushed into them and it started from that.
'I didn't fight back but I was pushed and punched to the floor. I was then kicked and punched while on the floor.
Photo: Rachel Dorrian
Dorrian, who denied assault, was conditionally discharged for three years and ordered
Dorrian hit a man and woman outside a bar in Manchester following an altercation on the dance floor Rachel Dorrian
Dorrian, who serves with the Queen's Royal Hussars, had been one of a handful of female soldiers at Lashkar Gah base at Helmand Province
'I didn't fight back because I knew the bouncers would be straight over.
'Matt was there and he and the girl both threw their drinks at each other. He probably stood up for a couple more seconds trying to fight back and then the bouncers came over. I only realized it had stopped because I had stopped being beaten so I got myself up presuming Matt was still with me but he had been taken out along with the girl and her two friends.
'By the time I got to the top of the steps to the bar and the doors I just saw the girl being restrained across the street going mental. She was going berserk, she looked like a mental wild person. She was shouting and screaming. That's when she launched over to Matt and smacked him in the face.'
He added: 'Matt's nose had been broken and was gushing with blood everywhere. Another girl who had been talking to Matt looked bad. Her eye started ballooning all purple and she could barely open it.
'It was my birthday. We weren't expecting this.'
Rachel Dorrian
Witnesses said Dorrian went 'berserk' and 'looked like a wild person' when she lashed out at Matthew Lowe
Photo: Google Maps
The incident happened outside the New York New York bar (pictured) in Manchester's Gay Village while Dorrian was on leave from the army
Victim Jennifer James said she was outside the bar having a cigarette with her boyfriend when she heard glass smash inside and saw Mr Lowe being thrown out.
Miss James told the court: 'He said he had been attacked, and at that point other people started getting thrown out of the bar. There were two more males that got ejected then the defendant was thrown out.
'She looked around and turned to Matt who was only about one foot away from me. She came and shouted in his face, "there he is, f****** tell them it was your fault, f****** tell them".
'She was pointing at him and angry and shouting. She was pointing at him with one hand and the other was down her side and at this point she made a fist and swung.
'She swung it into Matt's face and unfortunately it clipped me. I was the end result of the end of the punch. She went for Matt not me.
'His nose was broken, it was flat to one side and there was a lot of blood. He went down at that point. He ended up being sat on the stairs. I grabbed my eye.
'The reaction I got from people was that my whole eye was swelling.'
The Ministry of Justice declined to comment on Dorrian's conviction
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