Jason Morris, 30, denied inflicting grievous bodily harm on 25-year-old Samantha Court.

She was found in April at their home in Horwich, near Bolton, Greater Manchester, with her body covered in blood and 18 of her teeth either in a bowl or on the bed.

But she told Bolton Crown Court she had removed her own teeth in an attempt to stop a "luminous green and pink fly" from choking her.

I turned to face my bedroom wall and a luminous green and pink fly flew out and down my throat. That's when it started choking me.

Samantha Court

The court, sitting at Bury Magistrates, was told during the three-day trial that the pair had consumed enormous amounts of the liquid drug GHB.

Their hallucinations had included "seeing" witches, clowns and floating furniture

Father-of-two Mr Morris was accused of using pliers to remove his girlfriend's teeth.

But Miss Court said she had removed her own teeth.

'No pain'

She told the court: "I turned to face my bedroom wall and a luminous green and pink fly flew out and down my throat.

"That's when it started choking me."

She added that, after struggling with the first one, "the rest seemed to just fall out" and she had felt no pain.

The jury took just under two hours to deliver their not guilty verdict.

The couple, who are still together, have since stopped taking GHB.