South Tyneside man punched a woman in an unprovoked street attack following Newcastle United’s defeat in the Carabao Cup final

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Patrick Mulholland, 29, was left with a broken nose after her partner defended her honour in Ferry Street, Jarrow, a court heard.

Mulholland, of Monastery Court, had boozed while watching Newcastle United slump to Carabao Cup final defeat against Manchester United.

He tried to grab her hand as they passed, then blasted her with offensive language when she pulled away from him at 8.30pm on February 26.

After pleading guilty, he was ordered to pay £150 compensation to each of his two victims and to carry out 40 hours of unpaid work.

Prosecutor Paul Anderson told South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court: “The two complainants were just walking down the street.

“There was a 999 call from a female who said that she had been attacked by a drunk male and her partner was trying to restrain him.

“A man tried to grab hold of her hand as they walked past him, and they then crossed the road.

“He said to her, ‘You dirty dog’ and ‘You bitch’. The defendant also crossed the road and charged towards them.

“He punched her to the side of the face. She says her ear was ringing. He then lashed out at her partner. They were fighting.

“The defendant was arrested. He later said he had been intoxicated and couldn’t really remember what had happened.

“He remembered being hit to the floor and banging his head.”

The woman suffered injuries including bruising and a cut to her right eye, and a cut to her left eye, it was said.

Mulholland, who was found with a small bag of amphetamine, pleaded guilty to two charges of assault by beating and one of possession of drugs.

A Probation Service report confirmed he had travelled to Newcastle to watch the football and had been drinking.

David Forrester, defending, said his client had been heavily impacted by his grandmother being placed into care.

He added: “There’s some aggressive violence convictions going back to 2017, and his mental health has also deteriorated.

“He ended up with a broken nose. He’s clearly not accessing the support he needs.”

Mulholland was also sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge, with 16 rehabilitation days.