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A MAN has been cleared of the murder of teenager Henry Solt.
Daniel Fernandez, 34, of Snowdon Court, Haverhill was also cleared of the manslaughter of the youth.
Roy Ashford, father-in-law of Mr Fernandez, said after the four-day trial: "Obviously we are relieved this is over."
"As parents ourselves we feel for the other family who have lost a son."
As the verdicts were read out at Chelmsford Crown Court, there were gasps of "I don't believe it" as tearful women left the public gallery.
The prosecution had alleged that Mr Fernandez had pushed a knife with an eight-inch blade into the teenager on Haverhill's Clements Estate on June 2 last year. The weapon pierced his heart and he died within minutes.
Mr Fernandez, a former butcher with Haverhill Meat Products has earlier told the jury that he had not intended to harm anyone. He said he pulled out the knife to scare off some youths who were attacking him and had not realised until later that he had "caught" someone with it.
He told the Court "I feel downright bad about it. I didn't want it to happen. There's nothing I can do about it.
Mr Fernandez had denied the murder of Henry, 17 on Haverhill Clements Estate on June 2 last year.
The incident happened during a scuffle after Mr Fernandez confronted a group of youths who had insulted his wife, the jury heard.
Mr Fernandez told the court his wife, Tracey came home distressed because some youths had verbally abused her. He went back with his wife to have a word with them, and tucked a knife down the side of his trousers in case they needed to protect themselves.
Mr Fernandez said there had been problems on the estate with unruly children and young adults. They would often kick footballs against the front of his house and there had been verbal abuse.
He said when they reached the youths, Henry Solt approached him "I said to him 'What's your problem? What's going on?' Then somebody jumped at my back and I was hit from behind. I fell on my knees. I was being punched and kicked."
Mr Fernandez said he got to his feet and pulled out the knife with the intention of scaring them off.
Somebody grabbed the wrist holding the knife and he pulled away. He did not realise until he got home that he had caught someone with the knife.
After the case Henry's grieving family spoke of their anger at the verdicts.
Pat Solt, Henry's mother said she and her family and her sons friends had been given a life sentence after hearing the verdicts.
Mrs Solt, 46, of Harewood, Haverhill said: "I relived that night in June all over again. My son died right behind his own house. An eight-inch blade went in nine and a half inches, there was a bruise from a fist where the knife had gone in. I'm not going to let this go."