A jury has failed to agree a verdict in the trial of a care home manager charged with hitting a woman with a kettle.
The prosecution had argued Beresford Lee threw a glass and cutlery at Nicol Burgin before striking her with her kettle and causing a gash to her head.
But Mr Lee said he was not a violent man and, as a professional working in the field of youth care, he was trained to de-escalate situations.
He told Bristol Crown Court it was him on the receiving end of trouble when Ms Burgin, whose room he rented, told him she wanted him to leave and would not refund his rent to the end of the month - going into a "wild rage".
He told the court: "I did not assault her.
"I did not want to assault her.
"I definitely did not cause her an injury.
"She just went into a wild rage."
Lee, 53, of Guildford Road in St Annes, denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm on November 24 last year.
A jury of eight women and four men failed to reach a verdict today (November 11) on which at least 10 of them agreed after deliberating for four hours and 14 minutes.
Judge Julian Lambert allowed the Crown Prosecution Service time to consider its position.
He released Lee on bail pending a mention of the case on November 22.
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