A law professor has been cleared of wounding a farmer who was struck with an iron wrench.

A jury at Bradford Crown Court took less than 90 minutes to find 41-year-old Ian Campbell not guilty.

Robert Thompson needed 15 stitches in two head wounds after Mr Campbell, who had been walking his dog, hit him with the bar, the court was told.

But the jury accepted Mr Campbell's account that he was acting in self-defence after the tool was used to lash out at a map which he was carrying.

Immediately after his acquittal, Mr Campbell would only say: "I don't want to comment on the verdict because the publicity the case has had already has caused problems for my department."

Mr Thompson, also 41, also refused to comment.

The court had heard how Mr Campbell saw sheep running in a field at his farm in Cullingworth in May last year and approached Campbell in his tractor. He said he had taken the iron wrench with him after the two men had confronted each other ten minutes earlier because Campbell's dog had had a go at his dog.

Mr Thompson claimed that the man's dog was chasing the sheep and asked Mr Campbell what he was doing.

But when he turned away the next thing he could remember was being back in the tractor with blood on his face and a cut head, Mr Thompson added.

He was found to be in a dazed state when a police officer came to his home at Manor Farm, Station Road, Cullingworth. He was treated in Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Mr Campbell, of North View Terrace, East Morton, Keighley, denied unlawfully wounding Mr Thompson.

Mr Campbell, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration, had told the jury that he first encountered Mr Thompson while out walking his one-year-old Border Collie.

He claimed Mr Thompson began ranting in a "most uncivil tone'', telling him what he had on the map was "fraudulent". Mr Campbell said he would take it up with the council and walked down another route. He said that he then had a finger injured as he was showing a right-of-way on the map which Mr Thompson had allegedly struck with the bar.

Mr Campbell said he had been frightened and grabbed the bar while punches were being thrown at him.

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