A woman has been cleared of aggravated burglary after a businessman was threatened with a knife and ammonia to hand over £10,000.

Shannon Nimmo burst into tears when she was also cleared of an alternative charge of burglary after jurors spent more than two hours deliberating their verdicts.

Her-then boyfriend and co-accused, Adam Smith, has already pleaded guilty to his role but the 24-year-old maintained throughout her evidence that she had no idea he was carrying a large knife and bottle of ammonia.

Jurors at Teesside Crown Court heard how 22-year-old Smith admitted aggravated burglary committed on July 30 last year at the house in Middleton St George.

Giving evidence, Ms Nimmo told the jury that she was scared of Smith as he had been abusive throughout their year-long relationship and he had forced her to go with him to the house.

When asked whether either of them had demanded £10,000 from the man, she said: “I didn’t demand money. I was trying to calm down the situation. I said - ‘Adam I want to go, don’t do anything stupid'.”

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Jurors had heard how the pair turned up at the businessman’s home unannounced before gaining access to his property when the man opened his secured gates.

Ms Nimmo, who claimed the alleged victim was a well-known Darlington drug dealer, went to the toilet and when she returned, she saw her ex-partner armed with a knife and an open bottle of ammonia on the kitchen table.

Smith is accused of then threatening to stab the man and spray the alkaline solution in his face if he didn’t hand over the cash.

The jury took a little over two hours to clear Ms Nimmo, of Brougham Road, Darlington, of both charges.