A MAN charged after a nightclub doorman was hit by a catapult missile has been cleared by a jury.

Andrew White alleged he was attacked by William Jones outside The Outback in Lombard Street, Stourport.

But Mr Jones insisted it was a case of mistaken identity, pointing out he came from a large family and had 10 cousins of similar appearance.

He maintained he had not been near the club since he was a teenager.

The jury at Worcester Crown Court took three and a half hours to clear 22-year-old Mr Jones, of Broach Meadow, Stourport, of assault causing actual bodily harm.

An incident on March 12 last year was sparked by four women complaining to a bouncer that the defendant was one of the men who verbally abused them at a nearby takeaway.

During a dispute in the street, Mr White claimed Mr Jones asked him to go to an area not covered by CCTV cameras before firing a missile at his arm. The doorman said he chased after his assailant but fell over and was then kicked in the face, losing a tooth.

Mr Jones - who only had a conviction for poaching - said he was barred from the club due to the past behaviour of his family and hardly ever socialised in the town.

He said he would never have taken on the bouncer whom he claimed held a grudge against his relatives.

Defence counsel Philip Warren said: "There are others around who are not dissimilar to the defendant."