Opposition MP Maxwell Burgess walked out of court yesterday a free man. The United Bermuda Party MP denied that he assaulted William Sinclair Smith at Bailey's Bay Cricket Club on July 20 last year.

And yesterday the Crown offered no evidence against him.

Mr. Burgess did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.

However, Mr. Burgess claimed in this newspaper days after the alleged incident that he hit Mr. Smith in self defence.

He said: "What happened was he said to me that I was 'f**ked up'. I asked him what he meant by that and the next thing I knew he was firing a blow at me and I indeed fired one back. I acted in self defence, without question."

But Mr. Smith alleged at the time that the MP launched an unprovoked attack, telling The Royal Gazette: "He grabbed me and said I f**king well got you' and then he struck me from behind. I don't know why he did it.

" We didn't have a verbal dispute or anything. I don't know if he was drunk or what."

Mr. Smith alleged he suffered swelling around his eye and had to go to hospital to get a cut 'taped up'.