A British Army instructor hit a cadet over the head with a canoe paddle after he tried to capsize him, a court martial heard.

Corporal Adam Price struck Connor Mills up to five times as the new recruit rocked his craft from side to side during a “playful” bonding exercise, the court was told.

The trainee soldier was left with a cut above his eye in the incident which took place on a lake in Wales just eight weeks after he joined the military.

Bulford Military Court, Wilts, heard the alleged assault happened on an adventure training week in September last year.

A group of instructors including Cpl Price had taken their new recruits out on to the water at Sennybridge in Brecon on a “brisk but sunny day” where they spent an hour performing manoeuvres in their canoes.

This included flipping the vessels over in a “playful” fashion, the court heard, which then “disintegrated”' into a “mess around”.

The court heard as part of this, Recruit Mills dived into the water from his canoe, swam up to Cpl Price's craft - which contained another cadet as well and was the only one not to have been tipped over - and started rocking it.

Flight Lieutenant Andrew Otchie said: "Mills got out of the canoe and tried to capsize Corporal Price's canoe. Corporal Price hit him with his paddle four or five times and struck him once on the forehead.

"He had a 1.5cm cut above his right eyebrow.

"Price denies striking him and said he didn't know how the wound was caused. It was no accident. It wasn't deliberate but it was reckless and a lack of judgement and as a result, Mills was injured."

Mills told how they were around 65 feet from the shore when he jumped in.

He said: "As I rocked the canoe I felt the plastic oar hit my helmet one or two times then on another attempt he hit me, then Corporal Price said, 'Stop, you're bleeding'.

"I instinctively looked up, it definitely wasn't the other recruit in the canoe with him. I felt about four blows. I only felt them a few minutes after because of the adrenaline.

"I saw Corporal Price's face for a brief second. He didn't look angry, or upset or anything. I didn't know I was bleeding until I swam back to shore.

"The trainers gave me first aid and told me to wash my face.

"When we were packing up, Corporal Price came up to me and asked if I was alright. I said 'Yes', then went to get on the coach."

Recruit Mills denied hearing Corporal Price telling him to stop, saying his hearing was impaired by being in the water.

Recruit Mark Stevens described the session as “bonding time”.

"It was a bit of a mess around, it wasn't anything serious. It was a fun game. It was everyone for himself,” he said. "It all disintegrated, it was a free for all. The instructors were all relaxed.”

Corporal Price of the Army Training Centre in Pirbright, Surrey, denies one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The trial continues.