A NEW dad walked free from court carrying his baby, despite badly beating up one of his drug dealer girlfriend’s customers.

Gloucester Crown Court heard that Dominic Russell attacked Anthony Phillipson after he complained he had been shortchanged on the cannabis he bought from Russell’s partner Gemma Barnes.

Russell, aged 22, of Padsey Road, in Willersey, pleaded guilty to assaulting Mr Phillipson causing him actual bodily harm on Dec 10, 2012.

After hearing that Barnes, 20, has recently given birth to the couple’s baby Judge Jamie Tabor sentenced Russell to eight months jail but suspended the term for two years.

He placed him under home curfew between 8pm and 6am and ordered him to pay £1,500 compensation to Mr Phillipson and £300 costs.

Russell left the court building carrying his baby while Barnes, of Evenlode Road, Moreton, carried the luggage her partner had taken into the dock in case he was jailed.

Prosecuting, Julian Kesner said Mr Phillipson had paid Barnes £80 for eight grams of cannabis. But he found she had given him only 6.4 grams and demanded the rest.

They then met up in Moreton, with Mr Phillipson taking a concealed knife with him up his sleeve.

Barnes saw the steel and there was a “Mexican standoff ”, said Mr Kesner.

Another meeting was arranged but this time Barnes and Phillipson went with three other men while Mr Phillipson had only his girlfriend Charlotte Jeffcock with him.

“Mr Phillipson was immediately attacked by Mr Russell,”

said Mr Kesner. “He was punched hard in the face and he went to the ground.

“On the ground he was repeatedly assaulted.”

He said Mr Phillipson needs £5,000 worth of implant work to repair damaged teeth and suffered a fractured left collar bone.

Sarah Jenkins, defending, said Russell admitted striking four to six blows which caused Mr Phillipson to fall but did not accept striking him once he was on the ground.

She said Russell’s life has moved on and he now has a full time job earning £420 a week.

Judge Tabor described it as a “murky case” which illustrated what goes on in the drug dealing world. At a hearing last October Barnes admitted supplying cannabis, having the drug with intent to supply and assaulting Charlotte Jeffcock. She is due to be sentenced in March.