Actress cleared of partner murder

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An actress who ran over and killed the father of her two children has been found not guilty of his murder.

Ann Faulkner, from Dulwich, south-east London, admitted driving into Patrick Johnston, 39, after a row but insisted she did not intend to hurt him.

Ms Faulkner said it happened in "a flash" as she tried to drive away from the painter-decorator in August 2007.

The actress, 49, who appeared in the horror film Wishbaby, was also cleared of manslaughter at the Old Bailey.

'Possessive rage'

Giving evidence, she said Mr Johnston had jumped on the bonnet of his VW Golf when the pair fought following a night out.

The couple, who lived in Glazebrook Close, Dulwich, had been together for 13 years.

"I don't know how he got there. I assume he had jumped on the bonnet. His face was in front of me," she told the court.

"He was screaming. It was a split-second thing. I keep going over what did I do. It was over in a flash."

The prosecution said Mr Johnston was thinking of leaving to set up home on his own.

Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, said Mr Johnson had fallen victim to Ms Faulkner's "possessive rage".

He said she may have been in a distressed state after the death, but told the court: "Some parts may have been something of a performance."

Ms Faulkner appeared in Wishbaby in 2007, co-starring with Tiana Benjamin who plays Chelsea Fox in EastEnders.