Former soldier is found not guilty of machete attack

had the car a week and still owed a friend about £600 for it so later that afternoon they decided to go back to Brighouse to try to sort out payment for the damage.

“It’s alleged that you were tooled up and went mob-handed. Did you take any weapons with you at all?” asked his barrister David Hall. “None,” replied Barton. Barton denied suggestions that he had made threats to go down there with “30 or 40 mates” and said he only wanted to sort his car out and move on.

The prosecution had alleged that Barton fired a crossbow bolt out of his friend’s car towards Miss Waddington’s brother Louis before attacking him with a machete during the Sunday afternoon incident in St John Street.

Barton, formerly of Angus Avenue, Wyke, denied wounding Louis Waddington with intent to do him grievous bodily harm and an alternative charge of unlawful wounding.

He has also denied threatening James Casey and Mr Waddington with the crossbow and a charge of common assault in relation to Miss Waddington.

After almost eight hours of deliberation the jury returned not guilty verdicts on all five charges, but Judge David Hatton QC kept Barton in custody while he decided what to do about the breach of bail.

Mr Hall said the breach of bail had been the action of a frightened, immature man but the trial was not disrupted.

The judge said Barton would have gone to prison if the trial had been derailed in any way, but instead he fined him £500.