Stroud councillor found not guilty of assault

A jury has found the councillor not guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Author: Rachael WhitePublished 21st Dec 2023

Nick Housden, 33, of Acorn Way, Hardwicke has been standing trial this week following an incident which happened last November.

Gloucester Crown Court, sitting in Cirencester, heard today he is not guilty of assulting his business partner Gerry McGinty.

The pair had a physical altercation on November 2 last year after their business relationship had broken down.

McGinty was attempting to reclaim Housden's party office which was owned by their shared business.

Housden had arrived at the office to find McGinty and a locksmith changing the locks.

The court heard this resulted in a physical altercation in which McGinty sustained a 3.8 cm cut to his head.

Housden claimed he had been acting in self-defence when he pushed McGinty resulting in his head hitting a wall behind.

Today (21/12) the jury found Housden not guilty of the charge.

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