A West Midlands Police sergeant, who hit a Wolves fan in the face with his helmet during an incident following an FA Cup tie, has been cleared of assault.

Sgt Nicholas Lighton, from Bromsgrove, denied assaulting Wolves fan Darren Howell causing him actual bodily harm after the match against West Ham at Molineux in January last year.

A jury at Warwick Crown Court took just 34 minutes to find the 45-year-old officer, who is a member of the Birmingham-based operational support unit, not guilty.

Prosecutor Simon Ward had told the jury: "The case concerns an allegation that this defendant hit a man in the face with his police helmet, causing him an injury.

"We say it was an unlawful act, that he had no need to hit anyone in the face with his helmet or anything else."

Mr Ward said that after the game Mr Howell and a friend began to make their way back to the nearby Asda car park, but got separated.

While Mr Howell was near a burger stand, a number of officers ran towards him and he was pushed over and landed face-down in some low bushes.

He was held down by Sgt Lighton who, it was alleged, then took off his helmet and hit him in the face two or three times, causing his nose to bleed.

"We say the treatment he received at the hands of Sgt Lighton was not the sort of treatment a police officer is entitled to give anyone. It is not lawful behaviour for this man to use his helmet to hit anyone on the ground while they are being restrained,"said Mr Ward.

Another officer handcuffed Mr Howell, and he was led to a police van and charged with a public order offence, which was later dropped at Wolverhampton magistrates court.

Two women who had been shopping and saw what happened contacted their local police station and one of them, Muriel Deeming, told the court she did not see the young man on the ground do anything to justify what Sgt Lighton did.

But Sgt Lighton said he saw some youths to his left and another group of four or five running down Jack Hayward Way, including Mr Howell, who shouted: "There they are." The group began running, and Sgt Lighton said that as Mr Howell ran past the burger van he decided to intercept him.

He said Mr Howell fell over a bench and landed in the bushes, so he decided to go over and apprehend him, and grabbed hold of him and told him to stay down.

But Mr Howell struggled and Sgt Lighton said he feared he might have a weapon, and as he tried to restrain him he swung his helmet, which he was holding because the strap had broken, at Mr Howell's head.

The sergeant said he again told Mr Howell to stay on the ground, but he continued to try to get up, so he 'flipped him to the head again' with his helmet to protect himself and to prevent Mr Howell's escape.

After the jury had returned its verdict, Judge James Pyke told Sgt Lighton: "The evidence which has been heard by this court has shown the kind of stress under which officers have to operate in such situations and the courage and professionalism which was shown on this occasion.

"I am very anxious that nothing said about you in this trial should in any way form a blemish on your career."