A WOMAN was yesterday found not guilty of assaulting a man who tried to film a hunt near Faringdon.

Amanda Benson denied assault by beating and was cleared of the charge by District Judge Tim Pattinson, after a two-day trial.

The first day of the trial took place earlier this month.

Complainant Wayne Foreman described how the 53-year-old hit him twice when he pointed a camera at her.

Mrs Benson had attended a meet of the Eton College and Radley College beagles hunts on January 12 , as her son, who attends Eton, was the master of the hunt.

She told Oxford Magistrates’ Court she thought Mr Foreman, a member of a Berkshire-based hunt monitoring group, was going to hit her with his camera.

Mrs Benson, of Culkerton, Gloucestershire, said: “He sort of lunged with the camera at me. It was a split-second reaction. I thought I was going to get hit in the face. I put my hand up and sort of swatted it away.”

Karen Cushing, prosecuting, said the act was a momentary loss of self control. She said of the video evidence from the day: “ The footage is clear: there is no immediate fear of violence. It shows you in anger when the camera lifted to film you.”

Mr Pattinson said: “I can accept that Mrs Benson was fearful as it was swung round and I find that it was reasonable to push or strike the camera away in view of proximity to her face.”