Rebecca Tanner, defending Eames, of High Street, said her client had seen videos of crowds outside the hotel on social media before it turned violent and decided to go along, believing it to be “peaceful”.
She told the court Eames had drunk a substantial amount before the incident and could not remember throwing the object.
“He readily accepts he was highly intoxicated,” she told the hearing.
“When the mood shifted, he became a willing participant.”
In the body-worn footage, Eames is seen at the front of the crowd wearing a gilet with a bottle of ginger wine pushed down his waistband.
Some of the mob broke into the hotel and tried to set it on fire, with 64 police officers, three police horses and a police dog left injured.
More than 80 people have been charged following the violence, with more than 30 jailed.
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