text: Graeme Finlay leaving Teesside Crown Court. He is accused of attacking husband and wife Ronald and June Phillips while on board a cruise ship . The passenger accused of beating an elderly couple on a luxury cruise ship claimed yesterday the violence erupted in a row over an awkward silence at dinner. Graeme Finlay, 53, insisted he acted in self-defence after being attacked by Ron Phillips, 70, wielding his crutch. The 16-stone British Gas engineer, who was travelling alone, confronted Mr Phillips and his wife June, 69, about their rudeness in ignoring him when he joined their table for dinner, a court heard. The couple were knocked unconscious after he allegedly assaulted them outside their cabin. But yesterday Finlay said he only swung his arms to defend himself when Mr Phillips went for him with his crutch. He denied attacking Mrs Phillips. He claimed Mr Phillips threw a cup of cocoa in his face and hit him with the crutch when he demanded an apology. He told the court: ‘I felt myself being struck by something sharp and I put my arms over my face to defend myself – I covered my face with my arms, I didn’t want my eye poked out.’ He said he swung his arms outwards and felt them connect with retired engineer Mr Phillips, from Middlesbrough. They were on board the Thomson Celebration liner off Lanzarote when the incident happened in January last year. Finlay, a Glaswegian, gave jurors at Teesside Crown Court a picture of the social pitfalls of the lone traveller when he described being snubbed in the restaurant. He said he enjoyed going to musical shows and filled his time with excursions, but dinner could be a ‘bit awkward’. He recalled joining two couples and said ‘good evening’ as he sat down. ‘I am actually quite a shy person – it is not particularly easy for me when I meet strangers,’ he added. ‘One of the ladies opposite me said “good evening” back, but the other three didn’t say anything to me, which I thought was a bit awkward. I was handed a menu and realised I was going to be in the situation for the next hour or so. ‘I then spotted a couple I’d met the previous evening and I said to the people at the table, “Excuse me, I’m just leaving as I recognise some people over there”.’ The couple were travelling on a Thomson Celebration cruise ship when it is claimed they were viciously attacked. The liner was cruising off the coast of Lanzarote when it is alleged Graeme Finlay beat the pair . Later he went to a cabaret show and played cards in the casino. He then encountered Mr Phillips carrying two cups of hot chocolate in the lift. Emboldened by an evening drinking alcohol, Finlay said he gave a ‘bit of a speech’ to Mr Phillips about his behaviour at dinner. ‘I said, “Excuse me, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but I felt really awkward at the table – it would have been nice if you had said good evening when I said good evening”. His reply to that was “f*** off”. I couldn’t believe he reacted like that.’ The argument continued in the corridor where Finlay claimed he was attacked. Mr Phillips, who uses a crutch because of a hip-replacement operation, suffered facial injuries and his wife two fractured vertebrae. Finlay was ‘disembarked’ from the ship and had to make his own way back to Glasgow. He said he needed three stitches in a wound to his arm allegedly caused by the crutch. He added: ‘I feel deeply ashamed I have been involved in such a thing. I was very shocked to hear about the couple’s injuries. I have found it very hard to live with the shame. I feel sorry for everyone involved.’ On Tuesday, Mr and Mrs Phillips told the court Finlay had ambushed them without warning outside their room and beat them. Mr Phillips said: ‘Never in my life have I hit anyone, not even my wife – you can ask her.’ Finlay denies charges of unlawful wounding and assault causing grievous bodily harm. The case continues. Finlay, 53, says he was ‘ignored’ when he joined their table and so moved to another after looking at the menu, Teesside Crown Court heard. He told the court he was on the ship alone and had drunk two pints of lager, three glasses of red wine and around five vodka and Cokes that evening . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
target: Graeme Finlay allegedly attacked Ronald and June Phillips on a cruise ship .
  The couple were walking back to their cabin on the ship to drink cocoa .
  Finlay denies two charges of wounding and grievous bodily harm .
  He claims the couple ignored him after he sat with them at a dinner table .