A TEENAGER accused of stabbing a man in the chest near to a Blackbird Leys school has been cleared.

Jurors at Oxford Crown Court took five hours and 16 minutes to clear Cameron Riordan, of Coriander Way, Blackbird Leys, Oxford, of one count of wounding with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and an alternative count of inflicting actual bodily harm.

The 19-year old had always denied the incident near to Northfield School on June 20 last year had ever taken place.

Taking to the witness box during the three day long trial he told the court he was ‘never there’ and he did not even know the alleged victim.

He said: “ I don’t know him personally, I knew of him, I hadn’t met him.

“I just heard through the grapevine that I was wanted for him being stabbed. Do you think I want to be in a jail or in this situation that I am in now?

“No, so I would not do things like that.”

Prosecutors maintained that Mr Riordan had come from behind while wielding a black-handled kitchen knife described in court as being seven inches in length.

He then, the court heard, lunged at alleged victim Kristian Maroney and stabbed him in the chest.

Mr Maroney was later found in Littlemore where he was taken to hospital and treated for a ‘superficial’ wound before being discharged that day.

Mr Riordan showed little emotion at the court yesterday as it became clear that jurors disagreed with prosecutors and he was discharged from the dock, having been found not guilty.