A MAN has walked free from court after being acquitted of grave and criminal assault following a two-day trial.
Jamie Shotbolt (25) said he acted in self-defence when he punched and kicked another man during an incident in Halkett Street in the early hours of Saturday 11 March.
On the first day of the trial, the court heard that the complainant had been walking home from a night out when he intervened in what he believed to be an altercation involving Mr Shotbolt and a group of friends.
Mr Shotbolt admitted his group had been “boisterous” after a night out, but said that he had been acting playfully in pushing his friend, which sparked the intervention by the man.
Questioned about the subsequent incident, which was captured on CCTV and shown in court, Mr Shotbolt said that he felt threatened by the intervention of someone he did not know.
Yesterday, the jury of eight women and four men returned to the court after just over an hour of deliberation and delivered a unanimous verdict of not guilty.
