TWO brothers accused of attacking another man because they blamed his relatives for vandalism have been cleared.
It was alleged at Liverpool Crown Court that Hanif Khan grabbed Tariq Mahmood by the neck, forcing him to bend over double and his brother Mohammed, known as Azzam, then hit him with one of his crutches.
The alleged attack in a back street off Southfield Street, Nelson, happened because of problems over wires being cut in a Cable and Wireless box, said Ashley Barnes, prosecuting.
Hanif Khan, 27, of Barkerhouse Road, Nelson, and Mohammed Khan, 36, of Southfield Street, Nelson, both denied assault causing actual bodily harm. The jury returned not guilty verdicts on the judge's directions following defence submissions that there was no case to answer.
When interviewed by police both men accepted they had been at the scene but said there had only been a verbal exchange and denied physically assaulting him.
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