A MAN has been found not guilty of GBH after a violent incident after a night out saw his former friend taken to hospital with “life-threatening” injuries.

Joshua Archer, of Cross Hands Road, of Llanddarog, denied a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm relating to an incident in Carmarthen on December 27 last year.

He argued that he was acting in self-defence.

Following a retrial, the jury returned a not guilty verdict on February 28.

The complainant sustained a “traumatic brain injury”, prosecutor Jim Davis told the court during the original trial in November, as well as an injury to the back of his skull and a broken nose.

He did not give evidence due to having no memory of the incident.

The court heard that both Archer and the complainant – also from Llanddarog – had been out in Carmarthen that evening with separate groups of friends.

The pair briefly bumped in to each other earlier on, and spoke briefly about their Christmases and families. Archer told the court there was “no animosity” between the pair in that conversation.

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Later that evening, the defendant left his group of friends to pick up a curry for him and his wife. As he headed towards the curry house, he came across the complainant near the square.

He said the complainant approached him saying “What’s the craic?” and was “very aggressive” towards him.

CCTV footage saw the two men walking together through Guildhall Square, when the complainant pushed Archer over a bench.

Archer had said he “felt vulnerable” and had “jarred” and “locked” his knee when he was pushed over the bench .

After getting up, Archer punched the complainant, who fell to the floor. Archer walked away, but then returned as the complainant got back to his feet, and the pair started walking together in the opposite direction.

When asked by defence counsel Robin Rouch in November’s trial why he returned, Archer said: “My knowledge of [the complainant’s] medical history. I wanted to check on him”, before adding that he wanted to get him back to his friends.

Then, there was a second exchange with the two men in close proximity to each other. A local resident told the court that she heard the pair “shouting and swearing at each other” and that their speech was “very slurred”.

Archer punched the complainant again and he fell backwards, hitting his head on the ground. Archer tried to get the complainant up before putting him in the recovery position. He then made a phone call, and somebody went to get a first aid kit from the nearby coffee shop while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

Archer told the jury that the complainant had grabbed his collar and “upper-cutted” him in the chin. He said he again felt vulnerable and had then punched the complainant.

The complainant was taken to the University Hospital of Wales with “life-threatening” injuries.

Archer told the court he was “devastated” by the injuries the complainant sustained.