A Failsworth man has been found not guilty of assaulting his partner – after police wrongly believed he had wielded a meat cleaver at her.

Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard police were called to the home of Paul Garforth in March last year after reports of a disturbance.
Giving evidence at the trial, his partner claimed he punched her twice and threatened to chop her and her son up.
She contacted her brother on Facebook and told him to get police to the property.
Her brother told the court he contacted the police and told them he was aware of a meat cleaver in the property.
Officers turned up at the property in Lime Side with tasers and detained Garforth.
They spoke to the woman who said he had brandished the meat cleaver at her.
But when questioned further she said that had not taken place on that day.
Giving evidence, the woman had said he punched her twice on the back twice.
But defence lawyer Mark Shanks challenged her and said there were inconsistencies between her statements.
He said she had said she had first claimed she had messaged her brother from the bathroom, but then said it was from the front room.
She conceded this was a discrepancy and admitted she had been drunk at the time.
She also said he had not wielded a machete that day.
Mr Shanks asked her: “You have told the police things that aren’t true.”
She replied: “He definitely did hit me, 100 per cent.”
Mr Shanks then argued the evidence of the woman was unreliable and so the case should be taken no further.
Magistrate Dominic Stone agreed this and upheld a no case to answer submission.
Garforth, 52, had admitted breaching an order made by a family court last May by contacting the woman.
The court heard he had sent messages over Facebook shortly after receiving a letter about the order.
He was placed on a curfew, requiring him to stay at his home on Greystoke Lane in Failsworth between 7pm and 7am for 16 weeks.

A restraining order meaning he cannot contact his former partner for two years was also granted.