Steven Ford, 44, of Bakers Close, Raunds, was acquitted of the attempted murder of Mark Fearn, intent to kill and intent to commit an indictable offence. at Northampton Crown Court yesterday.

The jury returned the unanimous verdict on all three counts after just two hours and 20 minutes.

During the three-day trial the court heard how Ford had been drinking before the incident, which occurred at about 5.30am on October 25 last year.

Ford told the court how he had driven home, loaded the Franchi SPAS pump-action shotgun and then walked to Mr Fearn's house in Broadlands, Raunds.

He said he knocked on the door and when Mr Fearn opened it he would have had time to shoot him if he had wanted to.

Instead, he shot at the door seven times, although he claimed he couldn't remember how many shots he fired.

He said his intention was to scare his landlord, who had evicted him from the snooker hall he rented from him, but had not wanted to kill him.

He claimed his landlord had harassed him when he first took over the lease of the snooker club three or four years previously.

The court also heard how Ford had called police straight away and then dumped the gun in a nearby street.

Giving evidence on the first day of the trial, Mr Fearn said he had opened the front door to find Ford standing there and slammed it as soon as he saw he had a gun.

He said he had dived through a side door to avoid being injured by the shots and was covered in sawdust and glass.

His 20-year-old daughter Simone had been woken up by the doorbell and had woken her father, but then dived under her bed with her pet dog when the shots started.

He told the court: "It scared me to death, I just didn't know what to do."

On the first day of the trial, Ford pleaded guilty to having a firearm with intent to cause fear, for which he will be sentenced on June 6.

At the end of the trial Mr Fearn and his family were visibly upset by the verdict.