A PETROL station owner's son accused of taking the law into his own hands when a customer drove off without paying has been cleared of a firearms charge.

A jury at Preston Crown Court heard that Nowmaan Farooq, 19, followed the driver who had failed to pay a £20 bill at the garage in Burnley. The prosecution claimed he stopped the driver, and then allegedly produced an imitation firearm and made him return to the garage as he kept the pistol pointed at him.

Farooq of Hartley Street, Nelson, denied possession of the imitation pistol with intent to cause fear of unlawful violence, and was found not guilty.

Roger Green, prosecuting, said both men were arrested by an armed police response unit.

Mr Green said it was the prosecution case that Farooq should have reported it to the police and not taken the law into his own hands.

Farooq told the jury he had been upset because the driver had not paid for the petrol.

He said the imitation gun had been under the car seat and he picked it up when he saw the driver reach for something.

He denied his intention had been to instill fear that he was about to be shot.