A burly pub landlord was beaten up and wrestled to the floor by his girlfriend after he punched her in the face during a drunken row, a court heard.
Adam Prestage, 40, was subject to immediate ''retribution'' by Tracey Ellis in front of her two children when he left her with a bloodied lip.
Police arrived at the scene outside his Witton Chimes pub in Northwich, Cheshire to find Prestage telling them: "She smashed my head in".
He later declined to make a complaint against his long-time lover. It emerged they had been arguing over the way his bar might be run following a works night out and a passing eyewitness had to stand between the couple to prevent further trouble.
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