Landlord Timothy Ward is facing jail today after brandishing a rifle at three young drinkers in his pub's toilets.

The trio were stunned when Ward, 42, landlord of the Queen's Own pub in Woodstock, burst into the gents' with the weapon.

Yesterday he was convicted of affray by Witney magistrates and now faces a possible jail term.

The court heard Ward burst into the pub's toilets with the gun to force the young men out.

Andrew Sherriff, 22, Darren Simmons, 19, and Gary Chapman, 22, told how they were enjoying a quiet drink and went to the toilet before heading home. They were urinating when Ward burst in.

Dad-of-two Andrew told the court: "We were in the toilets and the door burst open. He grabbed hold of me by my right shoulder and told us to get out of his pub. I looked over my shoulder and he was standing there with a gun. He threw me against the wall. "I was shocked. I was so scared at the time. It looked like a shotgun he was holding. I was scared what might happen."

Andrew then rushed out of the toilet. He added: "People in the pub said, 'Don't worry, he's just mad'. That made me even more worried when they said that."

The three friends went into the pub shortly before 11pm on March 21 and had one drink before going to the toilet.

Magistrates heard that Ward grabbed the unloaded antique .22-calibre air rifle - which dated back to the First World War - from the wall of the pub and followed them into the toilet.

He denied the charge and told the court stress from the case had put him in hospital suffering from stress and peritonitis. He claimed that and on one occasion a priest read him the last rites. Ward, who now lives at the Bull Inn in Litcham, Norfolk, told police after his arrest that he followed the men into the toilets because he thought they were "up to no good".

In his statement to police he said: "I didn't point the gun at any one of them but I did swear. I said as they were leaving that if I ever saw them in the pub again I would 'shove the barrel up your bottom sideways'.

"I agree it was a silly thing to do to pick that gun up off the wall but I though they might be armed and I certainly thought there was something decidedly dodgy about them."

He said he bought the gun for £90 from a local antique shop. It worked but was not loaded.

Magistrate Bernard Youngs told him: "The court has decided this offence is so serious it must decide whether to pass a custodial sentence on you." The hearing was adjourned until next month for reports. Ward was given unconditional bail.

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