THUGS who attacked the owner of a city centre pub after a row over a carton of orange juice have been warned they could face jail.

Paul Lomax, 20, of Middleham Avenue, Huntington, and Michael Evans, 22, of Thoresby Road, Acomb, punched and threatened Peter O'Toole outside the Judges Lodgings pub, in Lendal, York, on May 24 last year, after he reprimanded them for jumping on an orange juice carton.

Mr O'Toole told York Crown Court: "I got out of my car and noticed the carton on the floor. There were two guys coming out of the pub. As I bent down to pick it up they jumped on it and orange juice went everywhere.

"I asked them to leave the premises and they said: 'Who are you to tell us what to do?'

"One of them motioned to head-butt me, and then they started to throw punches. They said: 'We're going to kill you, we're going to burn your house down, we're going to track down your family.'

"I was in no doubt that I was going to suffer serious physical damage."

Former licensee Mark Leatherbarrow then came out of the pub to help Mr O'Toole. He grappled with Evans, while Mr O'Toole tried to fight off Lomax.

Mr O'Toole tried to make a citizen's arrest, but was punched in the face and ribs.

He added: "I was in fear of my life at numerous points."

Evans then picked up one of the chairs from the pub's beer garden. Mr O'Toole said: "At first, I thought it was going to come my way, but he smashed it against my car and let go of it. It dented it and scratched the window."

Lomax and Evans ran off when they heard police sirens. The incident was recorded on CCTV, but most of the attack was not visible, because of a two-second time gap between frames.

The pair pleaded guilty to affray at an earlier hearing, but the case was tried before Judge Paul Hoffman because they disputed punching or kicking Mr O'Toole. Lomax and Evans claimed Mr O'Toole was the one who had attacked them.

Judge Hoffman found them guilty of punching him, but not kicking him.

Evans admitted picking up a garden chair, but denied throwing it at Mr O'Toole's car. Judge Hoffman decided he had thrown it.

The judge said the incident had been triggered by "annoying, loutish behaviour, so common in this day and age", and said Mr O'Toole could not be blamed for reprimanding the men.

He warned them that they could face a custodial sentence when they returned for sentencing on February 28.

Updated: 11:16 Thursday, February 02, 2006