A FOOTBALL club chairman assaulted a hotel manager and his own uncle following a Christmas works do in Ingleton, heard magistrates.

Tony Bateman, 32, became aggressive with Darren Frankland, manager of the Wheatsheaf Hotel in High Street after the fire alarm was set off in the early hours of December 23 last year, the Skipton court heard.

Bateman, who had drunk ten pints of beer and several glasses of spirits, including a shared bottle of rum, was in the reception at around 2am, drunk and holding an empty bottle when Mr Frankland came downstairs to investigate the alarm, the court heard.

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As he tried to get to the control panel in the office to turn it off, Bateman lunged at him, said prosecutor, Melanie Ibbotson.

An attempted punch failed, but Mr Frankland fell backwards, hurting his back on a dado rail, she said.

The men were in a scuffle when Bateman’s uncle, Daniel Bateman became involved in at attempt to calm the situation, said Miss Ibbotson.

Bateman turned on his uncle, charging at him, biting his finger - which had been in his mouth at the time- and the pair of them fell through the door of the ladies toilet.

The police were called and Bateman was restrained by the landlord and his uncle until they arrived. He continued to be abusive to officers, and was arrested.

The court heard Mr Frankland had a grazed back, Daniel Bateman had a bitten finger and abrasion under an eye, while Tony Bateman woke up in hospital the next day with a damaged ear and broken ribs.

Tony Bateman had a previous conviction for being drunk and disorderly, at the time was subject to a conditional discharge, and had served a custodial sentence for violence, the court was told.

Bateman, who admitted two counts of assault by beating and accepted being in breach of a court order made by Bolton magistrates court in November, was severely in drink at the time, and had a problem with alcohol, the court was told.

In mitigation, Andrew Costello, said Bateman worked for his uncle, and that there had been a lot of drinking at the Christmas party. He and his uncle had argued earlier in the evening, his behaviour had been affected by the amount he had drunk, and he had set the alarm off.

He was chairman of Bolton Town Football Club, was a roofer, and was full of remorse for what he had done. In addition, he had decided he and drink were not 'good companions' and had not drunk alcohol since the incident, said Mr Costello.

"His uncle heard the alarm going off and had come downstairs. They had already had an argument about a family issue, both he and his uncle were in drink, and they set about each other, " he said.

Mr Costello said Bateman, a roofer, accepted he had started the problem, was full of remorse. They had since shaken hands and there were now no ongoing issues between them.

He added that Bateman had ended up with the worse injuries of the three, and had woken up in hospital the next day with a damaged ear and broken ribs.

Bateman, of Daisy Street, Bolton, was handed a 12 month community order with 150 hours unpaid work. He will have to complete up to 15 rehabilitation requirement days, to address his drinking, and was ordered to pay £300 costs - because he had originally denied the assaults and a trial preparation had taken place - and a surcharge of £85. Magistrates also ordered he pay Mr Frankland £75 compensation.