A Hampshire man has been found guilty of attacking his girlfriend with a beer glass in a city centre pub.

Wayne O'Connell, 28, denied assault causing actual bodily harm but was found guilty following a two-day trial at Winchester Crown Court.

The conviction comes as the Daily Echo campaigns to make late night venues glass-free to stop the chance of people being permanently scarred.

O'Connell was accused of hitting Naomi Witcomb in the face with a pint glass while they were drinking in the Mash Tun in Winchester.

Giving evidence, Mrs Witcomb said the group was having a good time until O'Connell called her a "slut" for no reason.

She said: "It just came out of the blue, he turned to me and said: You're a slut aren't you?' I was shocked, it did offend me and I playfully slapped him."

She admitted that it was more of a punch, but that it was only playful and that it was not hard and had not left a mark.

Mrs Witcomb told jurors that she turned round to a friend and when she turned back seconds later, O'Connell shoved a glass into her mouth, got up and ran off.

She said that initially she was annoyed he had got beer on her new top and did not realise she had been injured, so went after him. However, when she stepped outside she realised that her mouth was bleeding and a tooth fell out.

Police were called and she was taken to the hospital, where it emerged that she had lost one tooth, chipped another and that her tooth had cut through her lip.

Giving evidence, O'Connell of St Martin's Close, Winnall, said that he had only thrown the contents of his pint glass over his ex after she hit him.

He claimed that Mrs Witcomb was drunk and had started exposing her breasts to people in the Mash Tun.

The case was adjourned for sentence.

9:58am Thursday 1st May 2008

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