Non-White Royal Marine Walks Free After Breaking White Man’s Jaw for Saying a Mean Word

Daily Mail

August 10, 2014

The son of a Government minister has quit the Royal Marines after admitting assaulting two men in a row over racist slurs.

Benjamin Grant is the son of Tory Sport and Tourism Minister Helen Grant MP, who described seeing him awarded his green beret three years ago as ‘one of the proudest days of her life’.

But the 22-year-old has quit the Armed Forces after a fight outside a nightclub for which he escaped immediate punishment following a judge’s finding he was provoked.

Grant, who served in Afghanistan with the Marines, left the elite Corps after being involved in a fracas outside a night club in Barnstaple, North Devon in November last year.

He was serving as a driver with the Commando Logistics Brigade at RMB Chivenor and had just returned from a four-week exercise on Salisbury Plain when he went out clubbing with friends.

He was caught on CCTV punching a 20-year-old birthday party reveller in the face after accusing him of racially insulting him and pushing another man away as he tried to separate them.

A jury at Exeter Crown Court cleared Grant and fellow marine James Stott of causing grievous bodily harm to bystander Ryan Behn, 19, who suffered a broken jaw in the melee.

Grant, who gave his address as the £1.8 million family home in Surrey, had previously admitted assault by battery on Jack Yarde, 20, and Curtis Wenham, 19. He was given a two-year conditional discharge by the judge today.

Judge Phillip Wassall said: ‘You are of good character until that evening. I am quite satisfied you only acted in that way because you were on the end of vile and objectionable racist taunts

‘You should not have pushed Mr Wenham out of the way or struck Mr Yarde with a punch. It is very difficult for anyone who is not from a minority ethnic group to understand how hurtful it is to be called a P*** b****** or worse.

‘Such are the extenuating features that I am making a conditional discharge in the light of very exceptional circumstances.’

The judge made no order for compensation because Grant was ‘subjected to such outrageous provocation’.

Grant’s mother, Helen, is one of David Cameron’s A-listers who became Conservative MP for Maidstone and the Weald at the last election.

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