Man who glassed another male outside pub can expect jail, says judge

Thomas Nuttall, aged 24, of Rye Close, Bourton-on-the-Water, admitted wounding Lee Kelly with the glass but denied having any intent to cause serious injury to him.

He told Gloucester Crown Court he was defending himself and his father Philip, who was present at the scene of the incident outside the Kingsbridge Inn in Bourton-on-the-Water on October 21 last year.

Mr Kelly suffered three cuts to the face that were stitched up at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

Nuttall denied the more serious offence of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm but the jury found him guilty after a two-day trial at Cirencester Courthouse.

Thomas James Nuttall (Image: Glos Police)

During the trial the jury saw CCTV footage of the incident.

Prosecutor Lucy Taylor said: "In the CCTV you will see some back and forth between the two men which culminates in Mr Nuttall taking a pint glass from a table, emptying its contents onto the floor and then reaching around his father to strike the complainant to the face with the glass.

"Our case is that whatever went on between the two men, the defendant armed himself deliberately, emptying the contents of the pint glass and using it as a weapon. 

"We say this shows that Mr Nuttall clearly intended to cause serious injury to Mr Kelly."

In evidence Mr Kelly said he did not recall any disagreements with Mr Nuttall which might have prompted the attack.

Mr Kelly said: "I remember being struck and then feeling wetness down my face and I couldn't see out of my left eye because of blood.

"I do remember throwing a punch but I thought that was because someone had attacked me first, I was defending myself."

He denied a suggestion by defence solicitor Matthew Harbinson that he was 'blind drunk' and that he was being aggressive.

In evidence Nuttall said Mr Kelly seemed aggressive and drunk in the pub and asked him to go outside.

Nuttall said: "I tried to offer a handshake, I didn't want trouble.

"He grabbed my hand, pulled me in and hit my face.

"He also had his hands on my dad and I used the glass as a weapon in his defence. 

"I admit I went too far in using the glass but I was concerned about my dad."

Judge recorder Patrick Mason warned Nuttall that the offence was too serious for anything other than an immediate jail term.

The judge said: "The options for the court are very limited, I'm afraid.

"An immediate custodial sentence is pretty much inevitable but the length of it will depend on what I learn about you from the pre-sentence report and from any character references that you are able to put forward."

Nuttall has been released on bail until Monday, December 11 while a pre-sentence report is prepared.