Man cleared of baseball bat attack

9:48am Monday 30th July 2007

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A former Pembroke Dock man has been cleared of charges of intimidation, after a jury at Swansea Crown Court decided that he did not attack a potential witness and his car with a baseball bat.

Scott Keane, aged 27, who now lives in Stockport, was found not guilty after a two day trial.

Mr Keane was accused of attacking Barry Palmer, who had given police statement regarding a criminal damage allegation against Mr Keane. The criminal damage charge was later dropped.

The jury heard that Mr Palmer was attacked at night on March 5th, while sitting in his red Vauxhall Astra outside a kebab shop in Meyrick street.

Kevin Riordan, prosecuting, alleged that Mr Palmer was chatting to his girlfriend on his mobile phone when Mr Keane and another man approached the vehicle in a light coloured Peugot.

He maintained that Keane used a baseball bat to smash the driver and passenger windows of the car and then struck Mr Palmer several times. Meanwhile, the other man grabbed the ignition keys.

Mr Riordan said although his client had not been seriously injured he had suffered cuts and bruises in the attack: "Crucially, it was what was said. Scott Keane indicated he knew full well that Barry Palmer was a potential witness against him and he was warning him off."

Mr Keane denied the alleged attack. He acknowledged that he had been in Meyrick Street late on March 5th but said that he had not seen Mr Palmer since their schooldays, let alone attacked him.

He said that he had not seen Mr Palmer for so long that he doubted if he would recognise him if they were to meet. He also said that he had no motive for attacking Mr Palmer, as he had no idea that he was claiming to have been a witness to the alleged incident of criminal damage.