The editorial director of a Sandwich-based magazine, who smashed a glass into the face of one of his reporters, has been convicted of wounding with intent.

Simon Brady, 47, now faces a long jail sentence for the incident in the Bell Hotel.

He claimed he had been suffering from depression brought on by a heart condition – and after the incident in June last year checked into a The Priory – a psychiatric hospital.

Brady, from London, has admitted pushing a beer glass into the face of journalist Christopher Wilson but had denied the more serious charge. He will be sentenced next month.

He told the jury at Canterbury Crown Court that he had downed a cocktail of wine, spirits, Pernod and beer before the incident.

“It was just awful. I couldn’t believe that I had done this to somebody that I liked and respected. I was horrified.”

He was then given colour photographs of Christopher Wilson’s injuries, and added: “This is the first time I have seen the injuries in colour. Obviously the injuries are there in the photographs but I just can’t believe that I could have done something so terrible.”

Brady said he had very little recollection of the events that night – other than taking part in a pub quiz.

“The last thing I remember in the pub were the B52 shots and I can’t remember leaving the pub. I don’t remember going into The Bell. I remember booking a room and ordering the beer, or spilling the beer.

“My next thing I remember was seeing a blue flashing light of a police car.”

Prosecutor Wendy Hewitt told the jury how Brady had been drinking with Mr Wilson and another colleague in the Crispin Inn before deciding to stay the night at the nearby Bell Hotel.

She said that during the evening Brady had accidentally spilled drink over colleague Timothy Wallace – who had then gone to bed.

But Burnley-born Mr Wilson and his “middle class” boss carried on bickering in the foyer of the hotel in Sandwich.

The reporter claimed his former boss had been “patronising” over his northern roots – before launching the glass into his face.