A DUNBAR resident has been cleared of attacking a man on the town’s Belhaven Road following a trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, after a judge said he did not find the prosecution witnesses “reliable or credible”.

Damien Dalziel was alleged to have repeatedly punched Adam Johnstone to the head and face in October last year.

Dalziel, of Floors Terrace, was alleged to have spotted Mr Johnstone near to the Jet garage in the town before crossing the road and attacking him.

Mr Johnstone, 36, gave evidence during Monday’s trial that Dalziel had assaulted him, alleging this resulted in him having four teeth shattered.

Mr Johnstone also said he suffered a gash to the head during the alleged attack, which was said to have taken place at about noon on October 10 last year.

His partner Lisa McNeil also claimed she had witnessed the alleged attack from a window at her home at the town’s Doon Avenue and had called the police.

The 40-year-old said she “saw Damien hitting Adam in the middle of the road”, while 30-year-old Dalziel’s young child played on a bike nearby.

The court heard that there had been “bad blood” between the families for years but, under cross-examination, both witnesses were found to have severe discrepancies in their testimonies.

Mr Johnstone said he had four teeth shattered during the incident, while his partner told the court he had lost the teeth during a separate incident.

There were also differences in the amount of time the alleged assault took and where it exactly took place on Belhaven Road.

PC Natalie Dalziel also gave evidence and stated that Mr Johnstone and Ms McNeil had given a statement to the police weeks after the incident was said to have occurred.

The constable also said that Mr Johnstone and Ms McNeil had been “hostile and were filming us in the station” when they had arrived to give a statement at Dunbar Police Station on January 6.

After hearing all the evidence, Sheriff Roderick Flinn said he did not “find the Crown witnesses to be reliable or credible” and told Dalziel he was being found not guilty of the alleged attack.

Dalziel was found not guilty of adopting an aggressive demeanour, approaching Adam Johnstone, repeatedly uttering threats of violence and repeatedly punching him on the head to his injury at Belhaven Road, Dunbar, on October 10 last year.