A TEENAGER reacted violently because his family had not told him his grandmother had died.

Former soldier Nicholas Andrew Jones, 19, ended up punching his brother to the jaw.

Jones, of Rhydymynydd, Brynford, admitted assaulting Richard Jones and causing criminal damage to a TV remote control.

John Wylde, prosecuting, told Flintshire magistrates the incident happened on the day his grandmother died.

Richard Jones had spent most of the day at the hospital with his mother and stepfather and at about 7pm they were trying to contact Jones to tell him what had happened.

But someone else had already told him and Jones was abusive on the telephone and shouting and swearing.

He was in the doorway when they returned home.

Jones was shouting and they all feared for their safety. He threatened that his brother 'would have it' and that he would “take his jaw off”.

He threw the Sky TV remote control to the floor, breaking it, and continued to shout at them.

Jones then punched his brother to the left side of his face before leaving.

Phillip Lloyd Jones, defending, said Jones had been kept “out of the loop” about his grandmother's illness. He knew she was ill but had not realised it was terminal.

Jones was informed by a third party about what had happened and he had not realised her death was imminent.

Jones would now have to live with the fact that he was never able to say goodbye to his grandmother, the court was told.

District Judge Andrew Shaw fined him £100 for the assault and £65 for the criminal damage and ordered him to pay £100 costs.

He said compensation was not appropriate.