A MAN accused of breaking a grandfather’s ankle following a doorstep dispute has been cleared after the victim told a jury his attacker was not the defendant.

The prosecution had alleged that Barry Wildman pushed over David Owen and and deliberately stamped on his ankle.

But when called to the witness box at Bolton Crown Court and faced by 44-year-old Wildman, who was representing himself, Mr Owen told the jury: “I’ve never seen him before – sorry.”

Paul Dockery, prosecuting, offered no evidence against Wildman, who was found not guilty of causing grievous bodily harm by the jury on instruction from the judge, Recorder Guy Mathieson.

The prosecution had alleged that on May 24 2015 Mr Owen was at his home in Ashby Close, Farnworth, with his partner and their lodger, Benjamin Wood when Wildman, accompanied by another man, turned up accusing Mr Wood of damaging his father’s car.

Mr Owen was said to have intervened and police were called before the two men appeared to walk away.

But the jury was told that, as Mr Owen looked up the street for his dog, which he believed had escaped, he was pushed and fell backwards, banging his head on a lawn edging before his ankle was stamped on.

“Mr Owen said he could hear the crack of the break and felt immense pain,” said Mr Dockery.

In hospital Mr Owen needed surgery and a metal plate inserted to repair his damaged ankle.

When arrested Wildman, of Netherton Grove, Farnworth, denied injuring Mr Owen and gave police a prepared statement which claimed Mr Owen had been the aggressor and he had fallen after he pushed him away.

Giving evidence, Mr Owen said he had not seen who attacked him and Wildman was not one of the men who came to his house.