Hartlepool man acquitted of assault by beating and threatening to destroy property

Darren O’Hara, 36, had denied one charge each of assault by beating and threatening to destroy property following an argument in a town street.

A trial at Teesside Crown Court heard he had parked outside his mother’s home on February 26 last year and was waiting for her to return from a walk when he spotted a teenager drop a bottle nearby.

The court was told there was an ongoing problem with people dropping litter in the street and Mr O’Hara asked the teenager to pick up the bottle.

An argument started when a woman, who was known to Mr O’Hara, got out of her car and asked him why he was “picking on kids”.

Giving evidence, Mr O’Hara, of Sea View Terrace, said he told her “it had nothing do with her” but denied accusations that he punched her in the leg.

“She went from one to 100 in a minute. She was absolutely raging,” O’Hara told the court.

"I never touched her.”

The row continued after the defendant’s mother, Maureen O’Hara, arrived before the other woman eventually drove away.

“Nobody got nowhere near her,” said Ms O’Hara in evidence.

The following day, Mr O’Hara took his two children to his mother’s home.

They were watching television together when a brick came through the front window.

Ms O’Hara told the court during cross examination: "All of a sudden we hear this explosion. The kids jumped. There was glass flying from the window.”

Mr O’Hara told the court that he saw a person wearing a Balaclava mask get into a car with blacked out windows.

He added that he headed to the home of the woman he had rowed with as he believed she was involved.

Mr O’Hara admitted he had knocked on the property’s window with his fist but denied threatening to burn her house down and telling the woman “you are dead”.

After the jury cleared Mr O’Hara of both charges, Judge Chris Smith told him to keep himself away from the other family.

Judge Smith added: "Take your mum for a cup of coffee.”