A MAN alleged to have attacked a pub manager who barred him has been cleared of assault by a jury.

But Alun Evans, who was arrested following a siege at his Golborne home, was convicted of threatening to destroy property by a majority verdict.

The jury also convicted Evans of affray on a majority vote but returned a verdict of not guilty on a charge of battery.

The siege began when police tried to arrest Evans at his Golborne home. The prosecution claimed Evan threatened to douse police officers in petrol. Police wanted to speak to Evans about three alleged assaults on a pub manager who had barred him. But when they arrived at Evan's Golborne home he had barricaded himself in and threatened to set his house on fire.

Several hours

Evans kept the police at bay for several hours and was seen brandishing an axe at his bedroom window. He threatened to set fire to his house and take the whole street with him. Residents were evacuated and the stand-off was only resolved when two specialist police TAG teams stormed the house and arrested Evans.

Evans, aged 32, of Salisbury Street, Golborne, stood trial at Bolton Crown Court on six charges, including three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against Golborne pub manager John Hitchmoth. He was also charged with affray, battery and threatening to destroy his house and putting people in fear that he would carry out his threat. He had denied all the charges.

Sir Charles Napier manager John Hitchmoth told the court Evans had assaulted him on three separate occasions after he told him he was barred. When police went to his home Evans refused to come out and barricaded himself inside with another, younger man.

During the siege Evans was said to have poked a metal bar through the letterbox and brandished an axe.

Police feared for the safety of other people in the terraced row and evacuated some residents. Two trained police negotiators were called along side two specially trained TAG teams. The siege was eventually ended when the TAG teams stormed the house and arrested Evans.

Evans is now awaiting sentence.