Mansfield man accidentally punched wife in the face and left her needing five stitches

Stephen Watts came down the stairs of Revolution, at the Cornerhouse in Nottingham, "looked directly at her and then threw what can only be described as a very hard punch," said prosecutor Annelli Pritchard.

"One interpretation is that he may well have hit his wife but he was aiming at a man between two ladies," said district judge Leo Pyle. "Unfortunately his wife was closest.

"On a scale of one to ten he is barely walking. He is heavily intoxicated. I don't see how a bevy of CPS lawyers can see it any other way."

The court heard the blow 62-year-old Watts struck on August 19 last year required five stitches and his wife has no recollection of the incident.

His solicitor said Watts, who has no previous convictions, didn't intend to hit his wife.

She said the people involved were enjoying an unlimited brunch "with an abundance of alcohol" and the man Watts intended to hit was "so drunk he didn't know where the toilet was."

"The focus of your jealous ire was a man who had been assisted to the toilet by your wife and another woman," the judge told Watts.

Watts' solicitor said he retired after selling his business in 2022 and his children have banned him from visiting the pub.

Watts, of Derby Road, Mansfield, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The judge told him: "You have a marriage of over 30 years. You have a wife who dotes on you. It's obvious you are wracked with remorse over what happened to your wife.

"You have no right to throw punches. This is a case where someone gets caught in the crossfire.

“Every time your wife looks in the mirror she is going to have a reminder of this episode."

Watts received a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work. He was ordered to pay a £111 surcharge and £85 costs.

A two-year licensed premises exclusion order, banning him from the Revolution bar, was also imposed.