A judge said he would give ‘no promises’ as two men admitted their parts in a massed brawl at the Mad Hatter pub.

Hamish Martin and Paul Anderson were due to stand trial at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday on charges of violent disorder.

The men were said to have been involved in a brawl at the Mad Hatter pub on Iffley Road on February 23, 2018. The fight is understood to have started following a dispute between two women.

Appearing in the dock on yesterday morning, Martin, 24, of Ringwood Road, Oxford, pleaded guilty to violent disorder. Anderson, 40, of Abingdon Road, Oxford, denied violent disorder but admitted a lesser charge of assault by beating.

Four other people have already admitted taking part in the disorder.

Prosecutor David Povall said of the case against Anderson: “There is a real distinction to be drawn between the other defendants and this defendant, whose involvement in any active way was limited to a matter of seconds and three jab punches not with the full weight of the body, one of which appears to have landed.”

He confirmed that the Crown would accept Anderson’s guilty plea to battery.

Judge Michael Gledhill QC told Martin he was offering ‘no promises’ as to the likely sentence. He ordered the preparation of pre-sentence reports.

All six defendants will be sentenced on July 15.

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