A man on a murder charge who was found not guilty has spoken of his relief at the unanimous jury decision.
Darren Willans, 31, says he wants to move on with his life after being cleared at Teesside Crown Court.
He stood accused of the murder of Peter Gilling, 39, alongside co-accused Derek Pallas, 36.
Pallas was found guilty of murder, while Mr Willans was discharged by Judge Mr Justice Lavender, TeessideLive reports.
He gave his reaction to Teesside Live outside court: "All I want to do is get my boy back," he said.
"I want to get back with my partner, I love her to bits.
"And stop hanging around with f***ing d***heads, it's opened my eyes a lot."
He added: "I have just been in (prison) for the last eight months for nothing.
"That scumbag tried to f***ing blame me.
"It's a massive relief, I just want to get back and get my son back."
Family left 'absolutely distraught'
Darren Willan's twin brother Shaun said the family had been left "absolutely distraught" by the trial and the fact that Pallas had blamed his co-accused for the murder.
His younger brother, James, said: "He never done nowt wrong. It's just someone else was trying to blame him."
He added: "We are going for a pint now, I think we deserve it", before the elated brothers headed away from Teesside Crown Court.
Derek Pallas was jailed for life with a minimum term of 26 years.
The judge told him: "Your actions did not just end Peter Gilling’s life. They deprived a mother of her son, a sister of her brother and a son of his father.
"His sister has made a very moving statement in which she said that you have broken a family which cannot and will not be pieced back together: something will always be missing."
Peter Gilling was found with serious injuries outside the Melsonby Court flats in Billingham in the early hours of Saturday, September 29, last year.
The former Billingham Campus School pupil was later pronounced dead and a murder investigation was launched.
Darren Willans, of Warren Court, Hartlepool and Derek Pallas, of Marsh House Avenue, Billingham, were both charged with murdering Mr Gilling.
