Last updated at 17:01, Tuesday, 17 July 2012

A MAN accused of threatening to burn a woman’s house down walked free after she failed to convince magistrates he harassed her.

NOT GUILTY: Alan Kendall, 41, of Queen Street, Dalton, who was cleared of harassment after trial at Furness Magistrates’ Court, Barrow REF: 50036257B000

Nicola Haines, of Dalton, made the allegations against Alan Kendall, and claimed he had become possessive and threatening when she met another man.

In Furness Magistrates’ Court yesterday , Miss Haines said she and Mr Kendall, 41, of Queen Street, Dalton, had been friends for about two years.

She told the court he became angry when he learned she had a “one night stand” in March.

Miss Haines said Mr Kendall came to her house the next morning asking “lots of questions”.

She said: “He said if I needed to go out and have a one night stand I could have gone to him. I didn’t want that kind of relationship with him.”

Mr Kendall became angry and said if she would not sleep with him he would rape her instead, Miss Haines said.

She said: “It was more or less along the lines of, ‘then I will just rape you then’.”

On April 7 Mr Kendall came to her house, again after she had been on a night out.

He banged on the door and pushed past her when she opened it, she claimed.

Miss Haines said she eventually managed to push him out of the house.

She said: “As he walked away and was leaving the gate, he told me he would set my house on fire.”

Mr Kendall, who denied a charge of harassment, said he did not make either threat.

They had been in a relationship for about two months, but this ended in February, he said.

He said: “I wasn’t jealous, I don’t really get jealous. I didn’t want a relationship with her.”

He believed she had made the allegations up, but could think of no reason why she would.

Miss Jane Tunn, defending, said Miss Haine’s behaviour after Mr Kendall allegedly threatened to rape her did not make sense.

She had met him in the Bargain Booze in Dalton on April 3 and hugged and kissed him, as well as inviting him to come and see her in her home, Miss Tunn said.

Finding Mr Kendall not guilty, presiding magistrate Gary Ormondroyd said: “Serious allegations have been made that are not corroborated by her behaviour. We can’t reconcile the evidence of the defence and prosecution so that we can form a view either way.”

First published at 16:12, Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk