TWO men accused of attacking the stepfather of Lucy McHugh have been cleared of causing him injury.

Charlie Whitemore, 22, and Wayne Grant, 28, have been found not guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to Richard Elmes.

Mr Elmes is the partner of Stacey White, the mother of 13-year-old Lucy McHugh, who was murdered by Stephen Nicholson in July 2018.

In July last year, Nicholson, 25, of no fixed address, was found guilty of Lucy's rape and murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 33 years. 

The verdicts in the case of Whitemore and Grant follow a three day trial at Southampton Crown Court.

The jury previously heard how an incident took place outside Arrow News, Windrush Road, Millbrook, on Sunday, July 21 last year, in which Mr Elmes suffered a broken elbow.

Grant and Whitemore both denied causing grievous bodily harm.

Jury members unanimously found the pair not guilty this morning.

As well as the grievous bodily harm charge, Whitemore, of Waveney Green, and Grant, of Bryon Road, were found not guilty of an alternative charge of causing actual bodily harm to Mr Elmes.

Whitemore, who pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of battery at the beginning of the trial, will be sentenced later today.