A DIABETIC Carlisle man who is known to be 'generally calm' committed a minor assault on his partner while suffering from low blood sugar levels at a Christmas drinks gathering, a court heard.

Mark Radzan’s partner fell to the ground after he grabbed her in a beer garden in north Carlisle.

The incident was captured on CCTV. The 51-year-old defendant, from Linstock, pleaded guilty to assault by beating.

The court heard that the defendant and his partner had enjoying pre-Christmas drinks at the Gosling Bridge Inn in north Carlisle on November 27 last year when the incident happened.

A Probation Service worker in court who interviewed the defendant said he had consumed six alcoholic drinks on the day in question, and asserted that his behaviour was underpinned by hypoglycaemia.

Suffering from type 1 diabetes, he felt that his low blood sugar combined with alcohol consumption may have triggered his behaviour.

The defendant was still with the victim, the couple having been in a relationship for 15 years. Defence lawyer Steven Marsh reinforced the point about the defendant’s blood sugar.

He said Radzan had not monitored his blood sugar levels and what happened was out of character.

The lawyer added that the defendant was not dependent on alcohol. Mr Marsh said that after the assault, Radzan spent ten nights staying at a Premier Inn hotel because his bail conditions did not allow him access to his home over Christmas.

That in itself had been a 'quite severe' punishment, said the lawyer.

A reference also described him as normally calm. Of the assault itself, said Mr Marsh, he had watched the CCTV footage and it was brief and consisted simply of Radzan grabbing his partner, and in so doing causing her to fall.

Radzan himself said he had little recollection of what happened that evening. He had initially denied wrongdoing but then changed his plea to guilty before his trial got underway.

Magistrates said they accepted that Radzan was remorseful. Magistrates fined the defendant £560, with £200 costs and a £56 victim surcharge.

The presiding magistrate told the defendant: “We believe this was an isolated incident and you will not be before us again.”

* The symptoms of untreated hypoglycemia can include irritability and moodiness, according to an NHS website about diabetes and related medical issues.