AN AMMANFORD man who bit away part of another man’s ear during a fight has been cleared of causing grievous bodily harm after a jury saw footage of him being attacked by a woman armed with a bottle.

Gareth Lee Richards, 41, of Penybanc Road, was seen being struck over the head with a bottle numerous times as he sat astride James John Edgar in the car park of the Railway Hotel.

Swansea crown court had heard how the two men had clashed earlier after MrJames had accused Richards of slapping the face of his girlfriend, Sarah Cooper.

Patrick Griffiths, prosecuting, told a jury how both men had been drinking at the pub in the early hours of October 2, 2010.

MrEdgar went outside for a cigarette and returned to find “something going on” and thought he saw Richards slapping Miss Cooper to the face.

A fight broke out, but the two men were separated.

Mr Griffiths said the prosecution accepted that Miss Cooper began “to behave disgracefully” and could be seen on CCTV cameras smashing a bottle.

The two men left by separate exits, but met again in the car park where the fight resumed. Richards put Mr Edgar to the floor and straddled him.

Miss Cooper appeared and attacked Richards, either smashing a bottle over his head or repeatedly hitting him with an already broken bottle.

She caused a number of injuries to the defendant’s head. She had also been charged with wounding with intent and would go on trial herself at a later date.

Before others arrived in the car park to separate the men for a second time, Mr Edgar had lost part of his right ear.

Mr Griffiths said that after his arrest Richards maintained he had acted in selfdefence and that during the struggle he thought he was being stabbed by Mr Edgar and that he would die.

Richards denied the charge.

Shortly after the trial began, and after watching CCTV footage of the incident in the car park, Judge Huw Davies ruled that the prosecution should be brought to a halt and entered a formal verdict of not guilty.