A WOMAN was cleared of jumping on a man’s head as he lay prone on a pavement outside a pub after a judge dramatically halted the case.

Emily Crimmins, 23, was found not guilty of attacking Dean Seymour near the New Foresters Arms on Blackwood High Street.

The defendant, of Park View, Bargoed, was acquitted of causing assault occasioning actual bodily harm on the night of Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

The judge, Recorder Mark Powell QC, directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict.

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He told them: “Members of the jury, I find there is insufficient evidence for this matter to go any further.

“I have a duty to stop this case.”

Recorder Powell appointed one of them to find Miss Crimmins not guilty.

During the trial, Cardiff Crown Court heard how the defendant was with her ex-partner Stephen Martin who was in mourning following the death of a friend.

Thomas Stanway, prosecuting, said Martin had kicked Mr Seymour in the head and that he had pleaded guilty to assault.

Martin was jailed in June 2020 for six months, suspended for 12 months, over the unprovoked attack.

Miss Crimmins denied assaulting Mr Seymour and the jury heard she said she had tried to help him.

Prosecution witness Suzanne Matthews gave evidence during the trial which was at odds with the Crown’s case against Miss Crimmins.

Miss Matthews told the jury she had gone to the New Foresters Arms that night with her partner for the pub’s karaoke night.

As she was smoking a cigarette outside at around 10.45pm, she said a woman had assaulted Mr Seymour.

Miss Matthews said: “She was swinging her legs. She jumped off a bin on to his head.

“She purposely jumped off the bin on to his head.

“I heard a thud.”

The court heard how she had described Miss Crimmins as wearing high heels and a dress at the time of her alleged attack.

CCTV footage however showed that the defendant was wearing trousers and flat shoes.

Ben Waters, defending Miss Crimmins, accused Miss Matthews of having drank too much that night.

During his cross examination, he told her: “It was not the defendant you saw.

“You are mistaken because of the alcohol.”