A lockleaze man has been cleared of assaulting his ex-partner's boyfriend for allegedly hitting his child.

Bristol Crown Court was told Anthony Dore turned up at Nicola's Knight's flat at Rochester Wood Court, Lawrence Weston, looking for Shayne Rist.

The jury heard when Dore saw Mr Rist in the street he punched him to the ground and punched and kicked him to the head.

Dore, aged 38, of Brangywn Grove, denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm in June last year.

A jury of six men and six women took two-and-a-half hours to return a not guilty verdict.

Mr Rist told the jury he came home from work and went straight to the shop for some beer and milk.

He described how Dore stopped his Ford Escort in the middle of the road, asked him if his name was Shayne and said he wanted a word with him.

Mr Rist said: "I looked to my left and he punched me in the side of my head, to my right ear.

"I went down on the floor. He punched me a couple of times on the forehead and then laid the boot in.

"He kicked me in the head and carried on punching me. He kicked me about four times and he punched me about four times."

Mr Rist described how he crossed his arms in front of his face to protect himself, and Dore told him: "If you ever hit the kid again I'll shoot you."

He said he had simply shouted at Mr Dore's lad previously, because the lad had sworn at his mother.

Dore's ex-partner, Miss Knight, said she was nine months pregnant with Mr Rist's child when Dore burst into her flat asking where Mr Rist was.

She said that she was concerned and when he left she phoned police.

She told the jury that as she called 999 Mr Rist returned to the flat with a blooded ear.

Dore told the jury he had not been involved in the alleged incident.