A man has been convicted of wounding one his friends who was left with facial injuries after he was struck in the face during a dispute in Wem town centre.

Aaron Chelmick was found guilty by a jury at Shrewsbury Crown Court following a five-day trial.

He was cleared of the more serious charge of intentionally wounding Ben Goulding during the incident in July, last year.

Sentencing was adjourned for reports until February for a date to be fixed and Chelmick was allowed bail.

The 25-year-old, of High Street, Wem, had denied wounding Mr Goulding with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm and the alternative charge of wounding.

The court was told that Chelmick had thrown a bottle at the victim before holding him in a headlock and he had a glass bottle in his hand.

Mr Goulding was left wounds to his cheek just below an eye and to his chin which required 18 stitches.

It happened when a group of friends - including the defendant and the victim - met near the dental surgery in Noble Street at the rear of Wem Town Hall on July 6.

Mr Goulding told the jury he had not instigated the confrontation with the defendant and said that he had not been drinking alcohol or taken any illegal drugs.

He said there had been an argument among his friends because someone had spilled a fizzy drink over his girlfriend but it had nothing to do with the subsequent clash with the defendant.

He also said Chelmick owed £150 to one of his friends and they had been trying to contact him earlier that day to get the money.

Chelmick claimed he did not strike Mr Goulding with a bottle and claimed the victim had ‘rugby tackled’ him.

He told the jury his back and head hit the floor and he was holding onto the victim as they went down and claimed Mr Goulding’s face and belly hit ground.

Chelmick admitted he had been drinking and had also taken some Diazipan and had a bag containing bottles of beer with him and assumed he was drinking at the time and had a bottle in his hand.

The defendant denied hitting Mr Goulding with a bottle and claimed it was not in his hand after they got up and that he had let go of it when the pair fell to the ground.