A HEAVY DRINKING Christmas works party in the White Hart Hotel in Launceston led to two young men and a woman appearing in the dock at Truro Crown Court on Wednesday.

At 5am, said prosecutor Ron Ede, there was an incident when Simon Rogers, a partner in a construction firm with 12 employees celebrating the festive season, was drunk and hotel staff decided to escort him to his bedroom.

Bare-footed kitchen porter Nicole Wenden was hurt when Mr Rogers stepped on her toes and she pushed him and punched him, and Nathan Jones intervened. They moved outside the premises and bar manager Richard Kellaway punched Mr Rogers once in the face, inflicting injuries which included a broken bone in his eye socket.

Kellaway, aged 21, of Tredinnick Barn, Lux­ulyan, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was ordered by Judge Christopher Elwen to do 140 hours of unpaid work for the community and pay Mr Rogers £150 compensation.

'GENTLE MAN'

Jones, aged 21, of Windmill Lane, Launceston, and 20-year-old Wenden, of Edymead Court, Launceston, pleaded guilty to common assault.

Jones was ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work and Wenden was given a six-month conditional discharge. They were each ordered to pay £50 costs.

Defence solicitor Christopher Andrews told the court that Kellaway, a rugby player of some note, played hard on the field but was a gentle man off it. He had acted entirely out of character when he struck Mr Rogers, while Jones had over-reacted in defence of Wenden, his cousin.

Representing Wenden, Paul Rowsell stressed that she was of previous good character and she had been helping Mr Rogers until she lost her temper when her foot was hurt, and afterwards she had tended to him when his head was bleeding.