A COMMUNITY warden wept with relief after being cleared of attacking his wife and said: "Now I can get on with my life".

Emotional and trembling after his two days in the dock, ex-soldier and security guard David Bullen left court with his daughter Aimee, 24, who with her brother Damion, 27, had given evidence in support of their father.

A jury at Burnley Crown Court had heard Mr Bullen's wife and alleged victim, Christine, described as a 'loose cannon' who had physically abused the defendant and their son.

The 54-year-old was found not guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm after a trial and was discharged from court by Judge Raymond Bennett.

Mr Bullen had earlier sobbed as his son Damion told the jury his mother had regularly beat him as a child and the defendant had been his "rock." After the verdict, Mr Bullen said he wanted to thank all his family and friends who had supported him and believed in him.

He went on: "It is a great relief to me to be able to carry on with my work and to be able to walk round with my head held high."

Mr Bullen, of Rennie Street, Burnley, was alleged by the prosecution to have punched his wife Christine, 50, in the face, causing her to fall and break her arm in a row after a night out in January.

Mrs Bullen, a manager at Wood Top sheltered housing scheme in Harcourt Street, Burnley, claimed the alleged attack had left her in agony.

The defendant, who is employed by Burnley Council to carry out safety patrols in the town, is now getting divorced from his wife for the second time.

He told the court he was not responsible for his wife's injuries. He said he had not gone into the flat, had walked away and then slept in a residents' shower room.

Mr Bullen said his wife had had between eight and 10 double brandies in just over two hours and was unsteady on her feet. He claimed his wife was an "uncontrollable alcoholic," and "very vindictive woman," who had made an "evil," allegation against him.

The defendant, who said he had suffered domestic violence at Mrs Bullen's hands - but put up with it because he loved her - claimed his wife had hurt herself in drunken falls and once fractured her arm falling off a table in Blackpool.

Mrs Bullen's son, London-based writer and poet Damion, raised by the defendant since he was one, told the jury his mother had "put a brick wall up," since the alleged assault and they were no longer in contact.

He said: "I think it's because I didn't believe what she was saying. She didn't appreciate that."

Mr Bullen, who left home at 16, said he had never seen his father raise a hand against his mother, nor against he and his sister.

Mr Bullen claimed his mother, who was a "loose cannon" hit him as a youngster and he had gone to school scarred and with blood in his hair.

He continued: "It was a regular feature of my upbringing. My mother was like a pendulum. One day she was OK and the next she was off her head. If she was in a particlularly bad mood she would be violent."

He alleged Mrs Bullen had thrown an ashtray and a plate at him, but had calmed down about five years ago. His grandmother had been his role model and his father his rock. Damion told the jury his mother could be "flexible," with the truth and was a "romancer."