A PROMINENT East Lancashire businessman has been cleared of assaulting the partners of two members of staff at a Christmas party.

Anthony John Wolstenholme, managing director of Oswaldtwistle firm Direct Courier Services, was found not guilty of assaulting Chris Aiken, the boyfriend of sales administrator Kelly Nottingham and Nicola Bradley, the ex-girlfriend of the firm's manager Dave Waddington, on December 19 last year at the company's Christmas party at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel, Clayton-le-Moors.

Both employees have since left the firm.

Mr Wolstenholme pleaded not guilty to both charges at Hyndburn magistrates' court.

The prosecution alleged that Mr Wolstenholme, of Sutton Ave, Burnley, attacked Chris Aiken, whose address was not disclosed to the court, by throwing a bottle at his head as the Christmas party wound down in the early hours of the morning. Mr Aiken told the court that the attack was unprovoked, and after he had thrown the bottle Mr Wolstenholme ran across the room, grabbed Mr Aiken, threw him on the table and then grappled with him on the floor.

Mr Wolstenholme said a fight did occur after a heated argument, with Mr Aiken throwing the first punch, before they started brawling, first on a table, then on the glass-strewn floor in the hotel's conference room.

During the argument Mr Aiken allegedly accused Mr Wolstenholme of treating his drivers badly, to which the boss claimed he replied: "At least I don't steal other people's girlfriends."

That comment was a reference to an earlier argument involving Mr Aiken, during which he was accused of trying to move in on someone else's girlfriend in the hotel's disco. The incident had "put a dampener on the whole evening, and what happened later made thing worse," said defence witness Karen Charlton, DCS's office sales manager, the only witness who had not been drinking on the night of the alleged attacks.

It was then alleged Mr Wolstenholme sat next to dinner lady Nicola Bradley, who also asked for her address not to be disclosed.

Mrs Bradley told the court: "I thought he was going to talk to me, so I leant forward towards him," she said. "Then, out of nowhere, he just thumped me. I can still picture it now."

Mr Wolstenholme denied any knowledge of that incident, saying she must have collected the black eye while trying to break up the fight.

Mr Wolstenholme told the court: "I am embarrassed and sorry for what happened but I am not guilty of these assaults."

Mr Wolstenholme, whose firm employs 100 staff, was unavailable for comment after the day-long hearing.