A film-maker says he has had to leave the country after a row over 69p escalated dramatically.

David Graham Scott decided to quit Rochester for his native Scotland after being charged with assaulting a woman beggar in the High Street.

The 55-year-old says he never touched her and she went for him after he offered her the loose change as he came out of a shop.

Following the incident in October, he was charged by police while no action was taken against her.

The dad-of-one says officers were not interested in hearing his version and never properly looked into his claims.

However, Kent Police has refuted this and said it did investigate what he had told them.

Despite this, Mr Scott, formerly of Shorts Way, Rochester, is adamant his allegations were not taken seriously.

While awaiting his court appearance, he was ordered not to contact the beggar or any other witnesses to the incident.

He felt too scared to venture into the High Street in case he bumped into the woman.

Therefore, he had to leave the area in case he was arrested for breaching his bail conditions.

After appearing before Medway magistrates last month, the divorcee learnt the allegation had been dropped due to lack of evidence.

He said: “I am a completely innocent man who was run out of Rochester by being put under restrictive bail conditions.

“I feel Glasgow is a safer place than Rochester. The woman is a well-known aggressive beggar and she attacked me.

"I am a completely innocent man who was run out of Rochester by being put under restrictive bail conditions" - David Graham Scott

“On the evening it happened, I came out of a shop and offered her some spare cash and she told me to ‘**** off with your 69p’.

“I couldn’t believe the way she spoke to me and said she was out of order. She came across the street and attacked me in a darkened area and then ran off saying she’d been attacked by me.

“As soon as I was released from the cells, I phoned Kent Police to make a counter allegation. I was promised a visit to take photos of the various wounds and they never turned up.

“I had bail restrictions set on me that I had to avoid this homeless woman, almost an impossible task if you live in that area as it’s the main street.

“The fear of her making a false allegation against me – if I saw her again – could have led to my arrest.”

A police spokesman said: “We received a report of an altercation in Rochester High Street on October 9, 2016.

“It is not uncommon with incidents, which involve accusations of assault, for there to be counter allegations made by individuals involved.

“Any allegations made to Kent Police will be considered, as part of a full and thorough investigation, and will be taken into account before any charges are made.”

Mr Scott added: “The counter-allegation I made has not been followed up and I think the whole thing was handled badly.

“I think the police are overworked and probably didn’t have time to properly investigate the case.”

He added: “It forced me out of the area and back to Scotland.

“I felt the police were only interested in a conviction for me and were not being impartial.

“She smacked the side of my face and kicked and kicked and kicked at me.

“I have a dent in my left thigh muscle – she’s permanently damaged it.”