A RENFREW man has been cleared of killing an apparently irate customer after an argument at a Post Office.

Edward Brown, who was in charge at Cardonald Post Office, had been on trial, along with his brother Alan, accused of causing the death of 56-year-old John McGuire.

However, both were found not guilty of culpable homicide today, following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Mr McGuire was said to have gone into the Post Office, in Paisley Road West, Glasgow, in March last year to complain about the cost of posting a parcel.

Jurors heard of fears Mr McGuire was about to stab Edward Brown – but it emerged he had been holding a Snickers chocolate bar, rather than a weapon.

A tussle took place and Mr McGuire, who weighed almost 20 stones, died of asphyxia.

Prosecutors claimed the brothers held him on the ground and stamped on his body.

It was also alleged they pressed his neck and knelt on his back, restricting his breathing, but the pair strongly denied causing Mr McGuire's death.

Edward Brown, 51, insisted he had feared for his life that day.

The postmaster said he showed relatives CCTV footage of the incident, to prove both brothers were innocent

He told jurors: “I needed my family to know what happened and that I was not responsible.

“They have come to an agreement that it (the trial) should not be happening.”

Edward Brown said he knew Mr McGuire as a customer who came in once a month.

He recalled Mr McGuire being “very agitated” when he turned up on March 25 last year.

The postmaster said: “He felt he had paid too much for a postal item. He was sold something he did not want. He believed a member of staff had an attitude towards him.”

He added that he had been called a “scum dwarf” by Mr McGuire but was not bothered by the remark.

It was stated that Mr McGuire returned to the shop and apparently “swung a punch” at the postmaster.

Edward Brown said he was grabbed before both men ended up on the ground.

Alan Brown, 63, who was visiting the Post Office to drop something off for his sibling, went to his aid.

During the trial, Edward Brown said: “I am not happy with the outcome (the death) but there was nothing intentional.”

Alan Brown, of Craigton, Glasgow, described the atmosphere at the Post Office on the day in question as “terrifying” and insisted he had only been defending his brother.

Asked if he had gone “way too far,” he replied: “Absolutely not.”

Relatives of the Brown brothers sobbed loudly following the verdicts.

Meanwhile, the family of Mr McGuire stormed out of the packed courtroom.

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