A PUB landlord collapsed and died after losing control and attacking customers at his pub near Wallingford, an inquest heard.

Oxford Coroner’s Court was told yesterday that Wayne Marshall, 41, died following a fight in the Crown Inn in Benson on June 27.

Mr Marshall, who was 6ft 4in and heavily built, died after lashing out at 21-year-old Elliot Thomson who threw three punches in self-defence.

Paramedics were called to the pub in High Street at about 10.50pm and Mr Marshall, who was not working on the night of his death, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Following the inquest, Mr Marshall’s widow Pam, 45, said: “What happened that night was completely out of character for Wayne, but he was a timebomb waiting to go off in terms of his health.”

Det Sgt Darren Cartwright, of Thames Valley Police, told the court Mr Marshall had drunk about 10 pints on the public side of the bar.

He added: “It was the anniversary of the death of one of his Army friends and he was also worried about a regular going to Afghanistan and started to cry.

“There were one or two guys by the fruit machine and Wayne was upset and thought they were mocking him in some way.

“Witnesses said he flew into a rage and was out of control. He headbutted someone in the face and it was unclear from witnesses whether he was carrying a stool or kicked it. He had a go physically at Elliot, Elliot has hit him back and Wayne has fallen on to the floor.”

Det Sgt Cartwright said the Crown Prosecution Service decided that Mr Thomson had acted reasonably in the circumstances and decided not to prosecute him.

Speaking from the witness box, Mr Thomson said Mr Marshall threw a bar stool towards him before kicking him in the thigh and punching him in the head.

Mr Thomson said he did nothing to provoke the attack and punched Mr Marshall three times in self-defence before the landlord collapsed.

Home Office pathologist Dr Nicholas Hunt said a number of factors came together leading to Mr Marshall’s collapse; he was in a distressed state, had drunk a high level of alcohol, had an enlarged heart, and an enlarged liver.

Coroner Nicholas Gardiner asked Mr Hunt: “It may be that the blows landed by Mr Thomson were the final straw which caused him to collapse?”

Mr Hunt replied: “It may be yes,” and added that the cause of death was acute cardiac dysrhythmia in association with stress, idiopathic left ventricular hypertrophy, fatty liver and alcohol consumption.

Recording a narrative verdict, Mr Gardiner said Mr Marshall died primarily from what were natural causes, influenced by an altercation which included blows to his face.

Following the inquest, Mrs Marshall said her husband of 19 years had always been passionate about the Army after he served in the Gulf War with the Second Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment.

She and Mr Marshall have two children, Zoe, 14, and Thomas, 19, and she has two children from her first marriage, Gavin, 25, and Hayley, 23.

Following Mr Marshall’s death, she abandoned plans to run a pub in Bristol and now lives near Torquay.

“What happened that night is completely out of character for Wayne and he is missed by everybody,” she said.