text: Keith Anderson attacked two men who he asked for a cigarette last year. He left one, an Army Lance Corporal, in a coma and severely brain damaged . A violent thug who ended a soldier's career with one punch because he wasn't given a cigarette has been jailed for seven years. Lance Corporal Albert Duffy had survived bomb blasts during a glittering military career which saw him complete three tours of war-ravaged Afghanistan. But after returning home to the UK, he was attacked at a bus stop by drink and drug-crazed Keith Anderson and left with severe brain damage. Just minutes before the attack, Anderson had punched another man, injuring him and leaving him incapable of work for a month. The 28-year-old thug 'bounced around, triumphantly like a boxer' after the assaults, a court heard this week. A judge was told the soldier had high hopes of progressing through the ranks, but is now unlikely to return to the military. Jailing Anderson for seven years at Teesside Crown Court this week, Recorder Patrick Palmer said: 'Albert Duffy was enjoying his career in the army. 'He was doing his bit for the United Kingdom and served abroad and served in combat and it seems highly unlikely he will return to his career. Your one punch destroyed that.' The court heard Anderson first attacked Adam Crosby at a bus stop in Hartlepool town centre on July 26 last year. He was angered that he only offered him the remainder of the cigarette he was smoking. Mr Crosby had to take a month off work at his family firm after he was left with a fractured cheek bone and damage to his teeth and nose. Anderson then walked to a nearby bus stop where L/Cpl Duffy was waiting and punched him to the ground after he failed to produce a cigarette. The soldier was left him slumped on the ground, bleeding from his ears and in a coma for 14 days. He sustained a fractured skull and needed two rounds of surgery after suffering haemorrhages, with part of his brain being removed. L/Cpl Duffy, from Darlington, County Durham, was a member of the 3 Rifles Infantry Battalion and had served in the Army for more than ten years, seeing colleagues killed and injured in Afghanistan. Teesside Crown Court heard Lance Corporal Albert Duffy's military career had been ruined by the attack . He escaped with his life in 2009 after a vehicle he was in hit an improvised explosive device. He was blown 15 feet into the air, but suffered only a broken foot. Since the attack, he has gone from one of the fittest in his battalion to a man who struggles to put together sentences, the court heard. He also has hearing problems and has little short-term memory, the judge was told. His mother, Marie Briggs, says she no longer recognises him as the caring son once looked up to by his seven siblings and her three-step children. In a statement to the court, L/Cpl Duffy said: 'I don't know what I'll do if I don't have the Army in my life and I have fought for my country. 'I find it difficult to comprehend how my life has been ruined by a male from Hartlepool, who punched me for no reason.' Fellow-victim Mr Crosby told the court: 'I'm 25, I should be enjoying myself, but this attack has had a massive affect on me.' Robin Turton, prosecuting, said when Anderson was arrested on July 30, he asked police: 'Is that me you're looking for in the paper' after seeing headlines as officers appealed for help. He also asked about the condition of one of the victims, but made no comment when he was interviewed. L/Cpl Duffy and the other victim, Adam Crosby, were set upon at a bus stop in Hartlepool in July last year . Mr Crosby's blood was found on clothing seized from Anderson's home in Hartlepool. Anderson admitted grievous bodily harm against Mr Crosby and grievous bodily harm with intent for the attack on L/Cpl Duffy. He was sentenced to two years for the attack on Mr Crosby and seven for the assault on L/Clp Duffy to run concurrently. Neil Mullarkey, mitigating, said Anderson had started to tackle his drink problem since he was remanded in custody. He added: 'He is disgusted with himself and thinks about what he has done every day and is ashamed.' The court heard that Anderson already has 19 convictions for 39 offences, including punching and head butting two women in a takeaway and an assault in which he used a pool ball in a sock to attack a man in a pub. But Recorder Mr Palmer stopped short of classifying him as a 'dangerous offender', which would have allowed the judge to jail Anderson indefinitely.
target: Soldier survived bomb blast in Afghanistan during 10-year Army career .
  He was victim of unprovoked attack in town centre after returning to UK .
  Punch left him severely brain damaged and ruined his military career .
  Attacker - who has string of past convictions for violence - is jailed .