A SECURITY guard had his arm broken and was left with permanent skin damage when he had a door thrown at him at a house in Southampton, a court heard.

Nicholas Porter, from the firm G4S, had called to fix a tagging device to Matthew Garrett who was lying in bed. But he got up and walked out of the room, switching off the light.

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Prosecutor Richard Withey told Southampton Crown Court that Garrett had then come back in like “a child playing a game of hide and seek”, but he then took hold of the door and threw it at Mr Porter who put his left arm up to protect himself.

Garrett, 21, told police he thought the officer was a burglar as he was not wearing any identification but accepted he had not given him enough time to identify himself.

Garrett, of Cherwell Crescent, Southampton, admitted causing actual bodily harm and, on an unrelated occasion, he brandished two vegetable knives outside his house and damaged a neighbour’s wheelie bin by kicking it. He was jailed for two years.

Christopher Gair, defending, said Garrett had been using cocaine and cannabis and was under the influence of drink when he woke up.