A MAN who had been accused of taking part in a robbery in a back alley has had the charge against him dropped.

Liam Jackson, 21, was said to have been a member of a gang who set about a man in Gorse Hill in what was thought to be a 'planned robbery'.

Jackson, whose friend Christopher Chomiw was jailed for the attack, insisted he was never involved in the incident.

The case had been listed for a trial at Swindon Crown Court but after prosecutors offered no evidence Judge Tim Mousley QC returned a formal not guilty verdict.

Jackson, formerly of Lennox Drive, Walcot, but now living in Wilcot Avenue, Penhill, pleaded not guilty to a charge of robbery.

Last December Chomiw, 26, was jailed for three and a half years after admitting carrying out the drunken attack.

The victim had gone to buy some cannabis in the alley to the rear of Beatrice Street when he was punched, kicked, and robbed of his iPhone and wallet.

Chomiw, of no fixed abode, was caught after using the mobile to phone friend in the aftermath of the incident on Thursday, October 2.