A man accused of attacking two down-and-outs in Watford accused the police of not doing their job properly today after the case against him was thrown out.

Steven Anderson, 29, said officers did not investigate his claim that he was acting in self defence when he hit the two men near his home in Bruce Grove.

The alleged assaults were carried out after he had confronted a group of people who had been making a nuisance in an alley next to his home. He said they had been taking drugs, drinking and urinating in the alleyway. Human faeces had been thrown over his fence.

The next day, August 28 last year, he said he was attacked by three of them as he left home. He returned later, when he said they attacked him again. "To be honest they were easy pickings as they were high on drugs. I punched one and he dropped to the floor. I punched the other and he fell back onto a car. I am 6 feet 2 he was about 6 foot 3 and of a big build. He got up and came at me and I kicked him. I broke his jaw, but it was all in self defence," he said.

The police arrested him at his home and he made a prepared statement, in which he said he acted in self-defence.

At St Albans crown court Recorder Patrick Fields ruled that he had no case to answer on a charge of assaulting Anthony Stillwell.  Prosecutor Jennifer Dannhauser offered no evidence on a second charge alleging that he caused grievous bodily harm to Kristen Johansen, who has since died from an unrelated cause.

Mr Anderson, a painter and decorator, said the police did not investigate his case at all. As a 17-year-old he received a nine month sentence for violent disorder and he believes officers had a biased view of him.

He said: "I told the police I acted in self-defence. They did not check the CCTV from the nearby shops and my home, which supported my case. I have had to take pictures from my CCTV to court to support my case. They ignored one of the people who had been attacking me. When the police arrested me he came over and said: That person should not be arrested. He was defending himself. The police totally disregarded him."

The judge awarded £50 defence costs to Mr Anderson.

For more crime news click here.