A Suffolk man accused of standing in the road and brandishing a kitchen knife and a metal bar as his former girlfriend’s new partner drove towards him has been cleared by a jury.

Giving evidence during his trial at Ipswich Crown Court, Tristan Giles admitted sending Damien Hadley a threatening text which said: “I’ll get you one day” and being a “bit annoyed” at seeing his former partner’s car parked near his house.

However, he denied standing in the road in Simons Cross in Wickham Market on October 19 last year brandishing a knife and a metal bar, and claimed Mr Hadley was the aggressor and had driven at him as he was crossing the road.

Giles, 23, of The Old Workhouse, Wickham Market, denied damaging property, affray and having a metal bar and a knife in October 19 and was cleared of all four offences by a jury after a four-day trial.

He admitted sending threatening messages to his former girlfriend Rebecca Greenacre and Mr Hadley and was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £100 prosecution costs and a £20 victim surcharge.

It was alleged during the trial Mr Hadley was driving along Simons Cross in Wickham Market on October 19 last year when he saw Giles standing in the middle of the road.

He allegedly saw Giles, who had recently split up with Miss Greenacre, pull a kitchen knife with a ten inch blade from the waistband of his trousers and noticed he was holding a metal bar in his other hand.

Mr Hadley tried to drive round him but as he did so Giles allegedly kicked out at the car, loosening the front bumper.

He had then allegedly struck the passenger side of the car with the metal bar.

The court heard Giles was in a relationship with Miss Greenacre from the early part of 2016 until around September or October last year.

It was alleged that Giles felt hostility towards Mr Hadley for “poaching” his girlfriend, who was pregnant, and this had resulted in the incident on October 19 when he allegedly damaged Mr Hadley’s car.