A COLLEY Gate man has been cleared of attacking a young woman with a bottle after she made it clear she was not interested in dancing with him in a Halesowen nightspot.

It had been alleged Ashley Barton, aged 28, lashed out with the bottle leaving beautician Nicole Hill with a 4 inch gash to the back of her head.

However, the four man-eight woman jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court retired for just 26 minutes to consider the evidence before returning their unanimous not guilty verdict.

But Barton who broke down in tears as he gave evidence to the jury maintained he had not headbutted the young woman or taken a “swipe” at her with the bottle.

He said: “I was upset about what happened but I do not get involved in situations like that.

“It wasn’t a good situation at all.”

He stressed he had never made physical contact with the young woman after a "melee” broke out inside Benjamins in Birmingham Street, Halesowen.

Barton accepted he got into a tussle with Nicole Hill’s mother Lorraine and they knocked over a table covered in bottles and glasses as they fell onto the floor.

But he added: “I did not mean Nicole Hill to be injured. I did not cause her any injury. It should never have happened. If we had not got into an argument it would have not got to this stage.”

Barton, a driver, of Barnswood Close, Colley Gate denied wounding Miss Hill.

The prosecution had claimed Barton left Miss Hill needing hospital treatment when she rebuffed his advances on the dance floor.

Mr Edward Soulsby prosecuting described him as a “coward and a liar” and claimed he left her covered in blood after the attack.

But Barton who said evidence given to the court by a friend that he had confessed afterwards about the crime was a pack of lies said: “I did not whack her over the head with the bottle. My behaviour was not great but I did not do anything wrong”

Barton had also denied two charges of wounding Miss Hill and her mother with intent to cause them both grievous bodily harm.

He further denied wounding Lorraine Hill and all three charges were dropped during his trial after submissions from Mr Daniel Oscroft defending.