A former heroin addict and an undefeated bare-knuckle boxer were involved in an altercation that left the latter with a machete wound to his head.

Peter Saville and Tom Mobey, who have 149 previous convictions between them, clashed on a weekday morning in Berinsfield.

Grandfather Mr Mobey, 59, needed eight staples to a head wound after Saville struck him with a machete, jurors at Oxford Crown Court heard.

On Thursday, Saville, 34, was acquitted of wounding with intent and having a bladed article, after claiming he struck Mr Mobey in self-defence.

The incident took place at about 11am on October 5 in Lay Avenue. Mr Mobey told the trial he had dropped some tools off at a friend’s house and then saw Saville walking along the road with his dog.

He said: “I suggested we went over to the grass, get his coat off and have a straightforward fist fight. He just pulled this thing out and he struck me in the head with it.

“There was no warning at all. I just asked him to have the fight and the next I know he pulled it straight out of his jacket and struck me in the head. It was a very, very hard blow. Blood was pouring out of me.”

In cross-examination, Richard Thomas, defending, accused Mr Mobey of lying on oath before, when he was convicted of fraud in 2009 and jailed for 18 months.

Mr Mobey, who has convictions for 36 offences, denied this was the case and said he was telling the truth about this incident.

He admitted being an undefeated bare-knuckle fighter, adding: “I asked him (Saville) for a straightforward fight.

“There’s no harm in two men going on the grass and having a scrape, but he had to go the coward’s way and pull the big axe out and hit in the head.”

Saville said Mr Mobey and his grandson Danny Mobey came towards him from their pick-up truck wielding a pole and a spade respectively.

He said he kept his eye on the pair and “reached in the back of his (Mr Mobey Snr’s) truck and pulled something out”.

The father-of-three, who admitted being a former heroin addict with 113 offences, added: “I didn’t see what I grabbed at all. When I did, he was swinging at me (with the pole) and I swung at him. I didn’t intend on hurting him at all, it was to keep him away.”

Saville, who said he used the blunt edge of the blade, was later found in his home in nearby Wey Road with the weapon and made a no comment police interview.

The prosecution offered no evidence for another charge of unlawful wounding.

Saville also admitted a charge of possessing a controlled Class B drug and was handed a conditional discharge order for 12 months.