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Not guilty: Clubber cleared of bottling beautician in Halesowen nightclub

A clubber accused of attacking a woman in a nightclub with a beer bottle has been found not guilty by a jury.

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Ashley Barton became involved in a 'melee' after his failed effort to 'pull' beautician Nicole Hill in Benjamin's in Halesowen, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

Trade plate driver Mr Barton had denied one charge of unlawful wounding, telling the jury he did nothing wrong.

Yesterday, a jury took just 46 minutes to deliver a not guilty verdict to the charge.

Afterwards, Mr Barton, aged 28, of Barneswood Close, Halesowen, said he was 'upset about what had happened'.

Throughout the trial, the court heard Mr Barton and a group of friends were at the Lutley Oak pub on November 15, 2013 before they headed to the Birmingham Street nightspot just before midnight.

Nicole Hill, right, and her mother Lorraine, from Halesowen

Around 1am Mr Barton started dancing around Miss Hill, but she made it clear she was not interested in him by verbally swearing at him, he said.

While being questioned by Mr Daniel Oscroft, defending, Mr Barton told the court that Miss Hill flicked him a 'v-sign', then he replied in kind and walked off the dancefloor.

Mr Barton said he was stood near a table with glasses and bottles on when Miss Hill's mum Lorraine aggressively walked over to him, with her arms raised.

"We got into a tussle," he said. "She was right there and almost surprised me so it was like a melee. I saw her hands come up so I put my hands over her."

Nicole Hill

Within seconds the pair had fallen to the floor, taking glass and bottles from a nearby table with them, Mr Barton said.

Injuries sustained by Mrs Hill and Miss Hill – as well as to Mr Barton's neck and shoulder – must have been caused by shattered glass, he said.

Miss Hill, who is from Halesowen, was left soaked in her own blood and with a four-inch gash to the back of her head.

Her mum suffered a gash above the left eye, bruises and a cut to the head that needed glueing back together.

Mr Barton admitted his behaviour on the night 'wasn't great, but I didn't do anything wrong'. He said his friend of three years Philip White lied about him 'confessing' to the crimes.

Speaking after the verdict, Mr Barton said: "There were no winners in this."

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