Colin Lewin at home with his daughter Tyra after being acquitted of murder (16929/3)CLEARED murder suspect Colin Lewin said his heart goes out to the family of stabbing victim Mick Love but he now just wants to return to his normal life.

Father-of-two Mr Love, 40, of Prospect Place, died after being stabbed three times following a night out in Swindon with friends on September 27.

Mr Lewin, 35, of Broad Street, was arrested soon afterwards but on Friday a jury at Bristol Crown Court cleared him of murder after 11 hours of deliberation.

Speaking this week Mr Lewin said: "My heart goes out to the family but it wasn't me. I never knew the man.

"It's tragic all the way round."

Mr Lewin, who has two children with partner Sarah Mackintosh, protested his innocence throughout the 11-day trial and Friday's verdict came as a huge relief.

"When the decision came all the jury turned to look at me and I looked at them and just said 'Thank you,' That's what you call emotional. That could have been my life gone."

Mr Lewin, who works at Avon-Cooper Tyres, Melksham, has returned home to his family and hopes to return to work later today

"It's so good to see my children again and my little daughter Tyra was so excited. She was getting up early and staying up late and is just really excited that I'm back home.

"I want to get back to work now and get back on my forklift and get feeling good again."

Mr Lewin said his time in prison during the trial had been incredibly hard for both himself and his family.

"Being in prison on remand is hard especially when you've been in there before. But that was ten years ago and I've done my time I was back out and getting on with my life and then all of a sudden it's been taken away again.

"That's not a nice feeling. Being away from my kids was hard but it was hard for my woman as well because they all rely on me.

"When you're just sat there and they're just slagging and digging and you just have to sit there and then at the end of the day go back to prison."

Mr Lewin acknowledged the difficulty for Mr Love's family in knowing that his murderer was yet to be brought to justice.

After Friday's decision Mr Lewin was driven back to Swindon by his brother.

On arriving in Swindon they came to a halt at traffic lights and by chance the family of Mr Love were pulled up in the car next to them.

"Can you tell me what the chances of that are? What can you say?

"After the trial it was just relief, there were no celebrations, there isn't a vendetta. I'm just a normal man. I'm not a bully and I don't go out to make trouble and everybody who knows me knows that. Everyone knows me as the one with the biggest laugh."

Detective Superintendent Paul Richards of Swindon Police said that Wiltshire Police will now re-investigate the murder case.

Hugo Tilney, Gazette & Herald