GAZETTE & HERALD: FORMER soldier Neil Barton, who carried out a racist attack in a Chippenham takeaway, has again failed to turn up in court for sentencing.

The 29-year-old pleaded guilty in July last year to racially aggravated assault and public order offences eight months after the drunken attack took place.

Barton, who has since left the Army, was to be sentenced last month but his lawyers sent a letter telling him to attend the court hearing to his former barracks in Hullavinton, rather than to Liverpool where he lives.

He was then due to appear at Swindon Crown Court on Tuesday, but again had not been told of the hearing by his legal team.

Ina Halliday, defending, said that the solicitors received a letter from the court on Friday and decided to phone their client.

Despite leaving messages they heard nothing from Barton. Mr Halliday said that minutes before he came into court no one was answering Barton's home phone and the mobile number they had appeared to be wrong.

Barton was based at barracks at the former RAF Hullavington when he went drinking with a friend in Chippenham town centre a week before Christmas 2002.

The two soldiers went to the New World takeaway in the Market Place. Once there Barton became abusive, making racist remarks, before turning violent.

Barton admitted racially aggravated common assault on New World manager Steve Wong and counts of racially aggravated threatening behaviour against Mr Wong's wife and neighbour Parminderjit Singh.

Judge Tom Longbotham issued a warrant for Barton's arrest but said it was not to be executed until Monday to give him the chance to attend court that morning.