A VIETNAMESE immigrant on trial for killing a fitness instructor by smashing a glass into his throat claimed: "It was an accident."

Thuvan Nguyen, 31, severed two major arteries when he thrust the pint glass into the neck of Billy Gregory, 23, following a row in the toilet of a busy pub.

He said he had lashed out with the glass at the Earl of Chatham in Woolwich after Mr Gregory called him a "chink" during a Christmas drinking session.

Nguyen slashed a man's head with the broke stem of a wine glass two weeks before but said that was an accident too.

He said he had been standing at the bar at the Earl of Chatham on December 23 when he turned and accidentally bumped into Mr Gregory.

"Billy Gregory was really aggressive. He was in my face," said Nguyen.

He said Mr Gregory shouted and swore at him.

He said he called a friend to come and collect him from the pub and went upstairs to the toilet, taking his glass with him.

There was a queue for the urinals and Nguyen said he was waiting his turn.

"When I was standing there I felt a barge from behind," he said.

"I looked up and saw it was the same guy from downstairs."

Nguyen said he told Mr Gregory "mind where you're going" but the victim was very aggressive.

"He pulled me and said: 'You remember me, you chink?' "When he shoulder-barged me I just reacted and pushed the glass. I didn't intend to hurt him or kill him.

"It was just a reaction. I'm sorry. It was an accident."

He said Mr Gregory rammed his glass into Nguyen's head and then he was kicked and punched by his friends before the police arrived.

Mr Gregory was helped out of the public house by friends but collapsed in the street from loss of blood.

He was taken to surgery on Christmas Eve but suffered a massive stroke and died at 11.45am on Christmas Day.

Nguyen had cut another drinker with a broken glass when he got into a row with friends Tim O'Sullivan and Tommy O'Shea at the Great Harry in Woolwich on December 7.

He broke the bowl off a wine glass but claimed he was trying to "ward off" the pair with the stem.

"I was worried about them, I was frightened of them," Nguyen told a jury at the Old Bailey.

He said he was put in a headlock and managed to get out of the situation "waving my arms around".

Nguyen insisted he had no intention to hurt Mr O'Shea, who suffered a head wound which needed 14 stitches.

He was arrested after the incident but the charges were later dropped.

Nguyen, of Queens Road West, Upton Park, denies the murder of Mr Gregory, who lived in Charlton.

The trial continues.