A woman who kicked her boyfriend in the head - jamming her 3in stiletto heel through his eye and into his brain - has been cleared of all charges on the orders of a judge.

A court heard Staci Hargreaves kicked her partner, Gavin Taylor, following a row after a night out in the early hours of February 7.

Her boyfriend, who Bradford Crown Court, West Yorks., heard had earlier slapped her, suffered a fractured eye socket, a burst blood vessel and had to undergo two operations, but incredibly has made a “remarkably good” recovery.

Miss Hargreaves, of Stalybridge, Ches., was acquitted after a judge ruled there was no evidence against her claim she kicked in self-defence.

On the second day of her trial, the defendant, of Stalybridge, was cleared of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and an alternative charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Directing the jury to find her not guilty, judge Peter Hunt said: "There is no evidence to lead you to the conclusion the defendant was not acting in instinctive, reasonable self-defence."