Jury clears Telford man of killing his neighbour
A jury has cleared a Telford man of killing his neighbour following an altercation on their street, after a two-week trial.
The jury of five men and seven women at Stafford Crown Court found 32-year-old Ashley Harris not guilty of both the murder and the manslaughter of Anthony Wootton on Tuesday.
Mr Wootton, 41, was found dead in the car park of Orient Court in Woodside at around 6.30am on July 17.
His death followed a physical altercation with Harris the previous evening in nearby Armstrong Close where both parties lived.
The brawl had started after Wootton had attacked his partner Carlene Garrett at the home they shared on the close.
Ms Garret then fled to the home of Harris and his partner Amy Smith, "in fear of her life" and Mr Wootton had followed her to the address.
During Harris' two-week trial the prosecution had argued that the defendant had struck a "severe blow" with a garden rake on Mr Wootton after becoming angered by Anthony Wootton during the incident on the evening of July 16.
Mr Wootton was found dead the next day and had died from internal bleeding after his spleen had been "guillotined" following a blow with a "rod or cylindrical-shaped object".
But none of the witnesses or any of the neighbours on the close had seen Harris use the rake during the altercation that ended when Mr Wootton walked away from Armstrong Close, apparently uninjured.
Harris had told the court that he had only picked up the rake to "scare" Mr Wootton, and denied striking his neighbour with the garden implement.
The defence also called medical expert Dr Ashley Fegan-Earl, a forensic pathologist, who disputed the claim by pathologist Dr Alexander Kolar, who examined Mr Wootton's body following his death, that the dead man's injury could not have been caused by falling onto an object.
Mr Harris admitted to the jury that he had lied about having the rake and had conspired with a neighbour to hide it from the police when they came to investigate.
But he had always denied killing Anthony Wootton and had pleaded not guilty to both the murder of Anthony Wootton and the lesser charge of manslaughter.
After less than five hours of deliberation the jury of five men and seven women returned a unanimous not guilty verdict relating to both the murder and manslaughter charge .
Ashley Harris remained impassive in the dock as the jury returned its verdict.
Judge Kristina Montgomery KC told Mr Harris that he would be freed, after he had spent six months on remand.