A CHARD man accused of assaulting his partner during an incident on Boxing Day last year has had the case against him dropped.

Glynn Stephen Read, 42, of Combe Street, pleaded not guilty to an allegation that he assaulted the complainant by beating her at Chard on December 26 when he appeared previously before Somerset Magistrates.

The case had been adjourned for a trial to take place after the defendant claimed he had been acting in self defence in the incident.

However, when the matter came back before the court at Yeovil last week, the magistrates were told that the Crown Prosecution Service was no longer offering any evidence in the case and the allegation against Read was now dismissed.