Councillor cleared of strangling partner in row

The trial lasted eight days at Chester Crown Court

A councillor has been cleared of strangling his partner after a row at their home while watching television but he has been convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Ashley Farrall, who represents Macclesfield Central ward on Cheshire East Council, denied both offences.

After an eight-day trial at Chester Crown Court, jurors acquitted Farrall of intentionally strangling his partner on 14 November 2024 but found the 43-year-old guilty of the other charge.

Farrall, of Ellenbrook Road in Manchester, will be sentenced during the week commencing 29 September.

The court heard that an argument had broken out between Farrall and his partner - who had both been drinking beer and wine - while they watched Married At First Sight.

The row continued upstairs as their baby son slept in the adjoining room.

Jurors then heard different accounts of what happened next.

'She lunged at me'

Farrall's partner alleged he attacked her.

But he denied this and said she had attacked him.

He told the court: "She lunged at me... threw a glass at me... and punched me in the face."

Farrall said the "horrific" difficult birth of their son had taken a toll on his partner's mental wellbeing.

The court heard that the charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice related to what happened in the weeks following the argument.

Farrall's bail conditions meant he was not allowed to contact his partner.

But jurors heard Farrall gave her a phone on which they could communicate.

They also met several times, including at Poynton Pool in Cheshire and near her mother's house in north Wales, where they discussed whether she would withdraw her statement.

She told the court she had wanted Farrall to plead guilty and "admit to what he had done".

Farrall refused and told the court he had "always maintained he was not guilty".