A man accused of attacking his ex-girlfriend after a row about him kissing another woman has been found not guilty.
Taylor Rhys Anthony (35) was acquitted by a jury of the charge of grave and criminal assault, and also the lesser charge of common assault, after a two-day trial in the Royal Court.
The court had heard that Mr Anthony had been filmed on a mobile phone kissing another woman, and the clip had been sent to his then-girlfriend.
The couple split up as a result but decided to try to reconcile and, on the evening of 16 June last year, they met for a meal and returned to Mr Anthony’s flat afterwards – where a row broke out.
They argued about him kissing the other woman and Mr Anthony told his ex-girlfriend that the other woman was better-looking than she was, the court heard.
The ex-girlfriend admitted that she had gone to slap Mr Anthony, but said he caught her wrist and then grabbed her by the throat, pushed her down and hit her in the face.
However, Mr Anthony claimed he acted in self-defence, and only assaulted the woman after she had hit him twice on the head.
Crown Advocate Mike Preston, prosecuting, alleged that he had made up his version of events.
The woman had bruising to her neck and a small cut on her face, and Advocate Stephen Baker, defending, asked: “If he had hit her that hard in the face, why were her injuries so slight?
“If he had hit her that hard, surely there would have been more bruising.”
He said Mr Anthony’s comment about the other woman’s attractiveness would have made the victim “extremely angry” and added: “It makes sense that for a short time this young lady lost her temper.”
Mr Anthony has no previous convictions apart from a speeding offence in his twenties, so the advocate asked: “Is it likely he would have started behaving the way she described at 35 years of age?”
Commissioner Sir Michael Birt was presiding.