Unanswered questions remain after Telford man is cleared of killing neighbour
Following the not guilty verdicts delivered by a jury on Tuesday that cleared a man of the murder of his Telford neighbour, questions remain as to how Anthony Wootton of Woodside died.
Ashley Harris, 32, was acquitted of the murder and manslaughter of the 41-year-old at Stafford Crown Court on Tuesday.
It followed a two week trial that alleged that Mr Harris had struck Wootton with a garden rake following an altercation on Armstrong Close, where both men had lived.
Father and grandfather Anthony Wootton was found dead in the car park of Orient Court in Woodside at around 6.30am the next day.
What started the incident?
The court had heard how Mr Wootton had attacked his partner Carlene Garrett on the evening of July 16 after he had been drinking. He had also taken heroin, crack cocaine, methadone, cannabis and pain medication.
Stafford Crown Court had heard that Ms Garrett had fled the home she shared with Mr Wootton, to Ashley Harris' home that he shared with his partner Amy Smith.
The jury had heard that the two couples barely knew each other beyond "nodding terms" but that Amy Smith had given refuge to her .
Ms Garrett had been assaulted "numerous times" by Mr Wootton but the court heard that on the incident in question, she had been left with a black eye, strangulation injuries and multiple bruises.
