Stonehouse councillor Nicholas Housden, 33, was cleared on Thursday (December 21) of assaulting a former business partner who was about to evict him from his constituency office in the town's High Street.

Mr Housden, a Stroud district and Gloucestershire County councillor, was accused of pushing Mr Gerry McGinty's head back into a wall causing a 3.8cm cut which needed hospital treatment.

But the councillor said the injury happened when he was defending himself during the heated confrontation - and at the end of a four day Gloucester Crown Court trial at Cirencester Courthouse the jury found him not guilty of assaulting Mr McGinty causing actual bodily harm on November 2, 2022.

The judge, Recorder Richard Mawhinney, discharged Councillor Housden and accepted a submission by defence barrister Stephen Donnelly that the defendant should be paid his legitimate travel and other expenses.

The jury heard that the alleged assault happened on November 2, 2022, - the day after Mr Housden had been removed as a director of a company that he ran jointly with Mr McGinty and a third director, James Thompson.

Councillor Housden's constituency office in High Street, Stonehouse, was leased by their company so on November 2, Mr McGinty went to the premises with a locksmith to have the locks changed, the court was told.

While the locksmith, Mike Nobes, was working on the office door Councillor Housden - having heard that people had entered the office - went to the premises and confronted Mr McGinty about what was happening.

It was alleged he became aggressive and pushed Mr McGinty's head back against a wall while he was sitting down.

Mr McGinty said in evidence that he was assaulted just after he told Councillor Housden he was going to call the police.

"He attempted to grab the phone but I moved it away," said Mr McGinty. "He then pushed or punched my head backwards.

"He caught me on the top of my forehead, or hairline. It was enough force to snap my head backwards and my head hit the corner of the wall behind the chair."

Asked how it felt, he said it was just like a film cartoon character seeing stars all around his head after being hit.

"It was like an out of body weird experience," he said. "I can remember this feeling of being dazed but I can't remember any feeling of pain. I have very little memory of that."

He said that he stood up and there was a scuffle with 'punches and pushes' thrown before Mr Nobes intervened and Councillor Housden left.

Mr Nobes the locksmith said in evidence that he did not pay any attention to, or have any memory of, what was said between the two men but Councillor Housden had 'stormed into' the office and was 'swinging his hands in an aggressive way.'"

He said the two men scuffled with each other and were in a kind of 'embrace' but he did not see any blows landed.

The jury heard evidence that after the incident there were posts on a Stonehouse community Facebook page in the name of Mike Nobes which said 'I think if local cllr assault local business owner they have to quit' and 'Local Cllr should resign - just cuz he didn't throw first punch doesn't mean he isn't still a Tory c**t!'

But police had not ascertained whether the post was by the witness Mr Nobes, another person of the same name, or someone else using his name, the jury were told. By the time police asked the technical administrator of the website for information about the post it had already been deleted because it was deemed to be inappropriate.

Stephen Donnelly, defending, submitted to the jury in his closing address that if they accepted the posts were from the witness Mr Nobes they should find Councillor Housden not guilty because it was clear from the content of them that Mr Housden did not throw the first punch.

Mr Housden, in defence evidence, was asked by prosecutor Caitlin Evans if he had himself created the Facebook posts in Mr Nobes' name but he told the jury: "I didn't create that message. A resident of a group that I was in sent it to me. They understood the importance of it and felt the need for me to see it. I forwarded it to my solicitor who was dealing with my case. I anticipated that it would be forwarded on to the police."

The jury was told that screenshots of the posts were sent to the police by Mr Housden's solicitor on November 24, 2022, but by December 12 they had been deleted from the site.

During his evidence Councillor Housden told the jury of the background between him and Mr McGinty which ended with their business relationship breaking down.

"Gerry McGinty and I have worked together for many years and were both employed at Cheltenham Football club. We left to set up a business together and worked with each other every day" he said.

"We were co-directors of two companies, one being a football company and the other a youth services business. My name appears above the door at 44 High Street with Conservative affiliation.

"I was informed on November 1, 2022, that I was being removed as a director. I had very short notice that the two other directors had held a meeting, and I was removed from the business.

"But I was still a shareholder. The only indication I had was that I wouldn't be working for the football company anymore."

The jury was told that Mr Housden received a message from a woman who worked opposite the office and said that she was just checking whether he knew that two guys had gone into the office and they 'looked suspicious.'

"I wasn't expecting to be evicted from property," Mr Housden said. "I panicked when I received the message. I phoned the office number, there was no answer. I got into my car and went to the property.

"As I entered the premises I kicked and pushed my way in. All I knew was that two people were in my property who I hadn't anticipated. I thought whoever was in the office had entered for illegitimate purposes.

"As soon as I entered the building, I recognised Mr McGinty with another man. I asked him what was he doing there? He said he had come to take the office back. I told him this was my office, it's what we had agreed. He told me he had changed his mind and was having the locks changed.

"In an earlier conversation with the letting agent, I was given the impression I had two weeks to leave the property.

"We then argued about money. McGinty said he'd given me enough money. It was a general to and fro between us. We were both moving about the office in a confrontational style, but we had not clashed with each other.

"Whilst discussing money I picked up a file in anger and waved it about. Mr McGinty got his phone out of his pocket and said that James Thompson (their fellow director) would enjoy this.

"Mr McGinty sat on the arm of the armchair and asked if I wanted to speak to Tommo (Mr Thompson). I went to grab the phone with my hand at which point Mr Ginty moved backwards to my left and he hit me to the side of my head, just above and behind my ear.

"At that point we are very close, and I pushed Mr McGinty into the chair as I wanted to get him off me. I was not aware his head had hit the wall.

"I had my back to the locksmith and didn't know exactly where he was, but when I stepped backwards, he came towards me. I felt the situation was bizarre. I wanted to leave.

"Mr McGinty also came towards me and I turned away, towards the door, and he began to hit me from behind. At that point I noticed the locksmith who got between us.

"I spoke to him (the locksmith) and told him to make sure he didn't take any of my stuff. After I said that, Mr McGinty punched me once more to the back of my head. The punches that I received that day hurt me. I then left the property.

"From me attempting to grab the phone to me leaving was no longer than a minute.

"I returned a short while later because I had misplaced my phone. I was subsequently arrested and was shocked. Mr McGinty had been a friend, and I was upset that the whole issue had occurred.

"I had not attacked Mr McGinty. I pushed him because he punched me in the first place."

Part of the evidence considered carefully by the jury during the trial was a short video taken on her phone by a woman living opposite Mr Housden's High Street Office.

It was played many times during the trial and the jury asked to see it again, at both normal speed and slowed down, during their verdict deliberations. The video showed the office frontage with the door mainly closed but occasionally opening so that glimpses of people moving inside were visible.

**Councillor Housden represents the villages of Eastington and Standish and the town of Stonehouse on Gloucestershire County Council. He was first elected to the county council in May 2021.

He is also councillor for Stonehouse ward on Stroud District Council, to which he was also elected in 2021. He serves on the district council's Housing Committee and Strategy and Resources Committee.