Horse trainer is cleared of punching his partner in the face as they split up ‘after she hit him with frying pan’
- Michael Jackson was cleared of punching partner Rosie Bell in the face
- Horse rider had asked Miss Bell to clear her belongings out of his house
- Jurors heard she then drove to Cotswold stables where they argued
- She claimed Mr Jackson punched her ‘four to five times’ during the row
- But he was acquitted of assaulting Miss Bell at Gloucester Crown Court
A horse trainer has been cleared of punching his girlfriend in the face after she had allegedly hit him with a frying pan.
Michael Jackson, 41, was accused of hitting Rosie Bell ‘four to five times’ and stamping on her thigh and foot during a furious breakup row at his Cotswold stables on January 24, 2020.
Prosecutors alleged that Mr Jackson had told Miss Bell to move all her belongings from his home in Sezincote within two days.
Jurors heard that she then drove to the yard and argued with him while he led a young stallion out of the stables.
Giving evidence at Gloucester Crown Court, Miss Bell denied that injury to her toe could have been caused by the horse.
But Mr Jackson denied assaulting her, saying she had approached him while screaming before grabbing his jumper and ripping it.
The horse rider told the court that he lost his grip on the stallion’s neck rope and the horse had bolted – causing him to put out his hand to steady himself and connecting with Miss Bell’s chest.
Mr Jackson also alleged that his girlfriend had hit him in the face with a frying pan during a row in August 2019.
Michael Jackson, 41, was accused of hitting Rosie Bell ‘four to five times’ and stamping on her thigh and foot during a furious breakup row at his Cotswold stables on January 24, 2020
Prosecutors alleged that Mr Jackson had told Miss Bell to move all her belongings from his home in Sezincote within two days
‘I was surrounded by brick walls and lots of metal,’ he told the court.
‘The horse starts to accelerate in one direction as I tried to detain him and with my other hand battle with Rosie who was attacking me.
‘She screamed in my face and ripped my jumper which made the horse bolt forward. This escalated the situation and instinctively I put out my left hand to stop me falling, but as I did so I connected with Rosie’s chest.
‘During this commotion we both lost our balance and I fell on top of her and I felt the rope ripping through my hands, causing me to suffer from rope burn.
‘The stallion escaped from the stables and I didn’t see which way it went.
‘Rosie then scratched me in the face, something which she had done to me in the past. As I tried to stand up one of my hands may have connected with her face.
‘I ran out of the stables looking for the runaway horse. It was very important to me that I retrieve this valuable stallion.
‘With the help of others, I managed to locate the horse in less than five minutes. I found him talking to other horses over a fence in a neighbouring field. I retrieved him and took him to a safe place.
‘When I next saw Rosie she looked fine as she collected her belongings from the office and tack room.
Mr Jackson insisted she had approached him screaming as soon as she got out of her car and grabbed his jumper, ripping it
Mr Jackson told the court he rides and trains horses for various owners
‘I carried on mucking out the horses and while I was wheeling out a wheelbarrow, she squared up to me again and instantly became argumentative.
‘I then shouted out for another member of the team for help as I expected that something else might happen.
‘Rosie said sarcastically that I needed him to hold my hand, to which I responded, yes I did, as I wanted a witness to anything that might happen.’
Mr Jackson told the court he rides and trains horses for various owners. He generally has around 14 to 15 horses in his care at any one time and spends 12 hours a day working with them, he said. The horse rider added that he competes in competitions all over the country, Ireland and Europe.
‘My reputation is everything. I rely on this to be sent the horses to train. People trust me,’ he said.
He had formerly been married for nine years and had split up with his wife in 2016, the court was told. The court heard that Mr Jackson met Miss Bell on the eventing and riding circuit and she moved in with him in late 2017.
He said his relationship with Rosie started breaking down whilst they were on holiday in Portugal in June 2019.
‘We were in a bar at a marina when we had an argument and she threw a glass in my face,’ Mr Jackson told jurors.
The court heard that Mr Jackson met Miss Bell on the eventing and riding circuit and she moved in with him in late 2017
‘The next time she went off the rails was at an event at Hartpury, near Gloucester, in August 2019 at which I was riding three horses.
‘We’d had a few drinks in the horsebox’s living quarters before heading to the bar. We arrived as a group of eight and I recognised the barman as somebody who I had seen working at the eventing stages earlier in the day. I offered to buy him a drink.
‘Rosie then accused me of chatting up boys.
‘I was so disgusted by this accusation that I chose to go back to the lorry alone and went to bed. About an hour later Rosie came into the lorry screaming at me and said she wanted to examine my phone.
‘I gave it to her. However, she twisted an innocent message from a female photographer and made sexual allegations.
‘She then started attacking me in the lorry, picked up a frying pan and hit it squarely on my face, making my nose bleed. Rosie then began screaming the place down.
‘I left the lorry as I was embarrassed about being in a scene from Eastenders.’
Following their breakup, he alleged, Ms Bell told him more than once that she would ‘try and ruin me.’
He added: ‘She also stated that she had wasted three years of her life being with me and added ‘Don’t ever expect to see my nice side ever again. We’ve broken up. You will not be so smug later on.’
On January 24, 2020, he said he sent Miss Bell a text reminding her that he wanted everything of hers removed from his house by Sunday evening, otherwise it would get binned that Monday.
Soon afterwards, she arrived at the yard in a ‘raging mood’ and the skirmish which led to the assault allegation began, he told the court.
After the jury returned the not guilty verdict Mr Jackson was discharged.
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