An angry drinker threw a beer glass at a man he blamed for tripping him up – but it accidentally hit the pub landlady. 

At the city's magistrates court, Paul Howard Matthews, 32, who had downed 12 pints of later on the night in question, admitted a common assault on Alison Boyd on February 28 at The Cumberland Inn in Botchergate, Carlisle. 

Prosecutor Pam Ward described how the tripping incident outside the pub had led to the defendant injuring his hand and the landlady had been helping the defendant just before midnight when he spotted the person he blamed. 

“He [Matthews] ran towards the male and threw the glass,” said Mrs Ward. 

At this point, somebody pushed the man out of the way and the glass shattered, hitting Ms Boyd over the head but not injuring her. 

The defendant later told police if the pub's CCTV footage showed him throwing the glass that he must had done it. 

Mrs Ward said: “He had no idea who he had thrown the glass at.

"But he said he had consumed 12 pints of lager and never been violent, and never thrown a glass before, but he believed he had been assaulted himself shortly before. 

“The CCTV showed Mr Matthews at the bar. 

“He is seen to pick up glass in his right hand, throw it at the male, and the witness [Ms Boys] is in the line of fire.” 

Keith Thomas, for Matthews, of Furze Street, off London Road, said: “The defendant is at pains to point out that he didn't mean to do anything towards her. 

"He'd been outside, had been tripped up, and cut himself.

“He was then inside the public house, and the landlady was tending to his hand, when the defendant saw the person who had assaulted him.” Unfortunately, when the glass he threw shattered, it hit the landlady unexpectedly. 

“There was no deliberate attempt to hurt the landlady,” said the barrister. 

Since the incident, said Mr Thomas, Matthews – who worked as a chef at a well known Carlisle hotel - had accepted that he was drinking too much and had put himself through an alcohol detoxification course, which involved one week's stay at a hospital. 

It was organised by the Unity Alcohol and Drug Recovery Service. 

He had also in the past gone to voluntary detoxification groups. 

After being told that the defendant was due to see a neurologist, Deputy District Judge Rod Ross adjourned the case for three weeks, saying he needed to know whether Mattews was fit for community service. 

But he warned that all sentencing options would remain open to him. The judge added: “This was a reckless assault on a landlady in a local public house and that aggravates matters considerably. 

"All possible sentencing options are before the court – all options including custody. It's still a possibility.”