A teenager accused of fracturing a woman's eye socket outside a nightclub after he joked her boyfriend looked like Mr Bean has been cleared of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Joe Pilkington compared Mick Wigglesworth to the hapless Rowan Atkinson character while they were at Tantra in Sheerness two days before Christmas last year.

Vanessa Wilson claimed she suffered the injury when she tried to push Mr Pilkington away.

The 19-year-old was alleged to have retaliated by punching her once.

But a jury at Maidstone Crown Court acquitted Mr Pilkington, of Broadway, Sheerness, of the charge.

He told police he was threatened in the early hours of December 23 and Miss Wilson began to "claw" at him.

He claimed he tried to protect himself from punches from Mr Wigglesworth and slaps from Miss Wilson. He added he blacked out before eventually managing to run home.

The next day he had pains to his head, a nose bleed and bruising. He said scratches to the side of his neck had been caused by Miss Wilson grabbing him.

Mr Pilkington, also known as Joe Bell, claimed he could have caught Miss Wilson with his head or elbow when he was trying to get Mr Wigglesworth off him.

He also suggested Mr Wigglesworth could have accidentally caused the injury to his girlfriend.

The court heard Mr Pilkington made the Mr Bean comment earlier in the evening in the club's toilets. Mr Wigglesworth simply replied: "Yeah, alright mate."

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