Cleared: Andrew Anderson, 43, pictured outside Manchester Magistrates' Court, was claimed to have forced a social worker to the floor, injuring her wrist . A father-of-three has been cleared of assaulting a social worker following a Black Friday bundle at Tesco over a 32in TV - after a judge said the chaotic scenes made it hard to blame anyone. Andrew Anderson, 43, was accused of forcing social worker Julie McGoldrick to the floor, injuring her wrist, as they battled over the unit which had been reduced from £199 to £99 as part of the frenzied midnight sales event. The self-employed gardener ‘strategised’ his shopping and grabbed a TV near the bottom of a pallet in Manchester, only for Mrs McGoldrick, 53, to grab the same one at the same time - and suffer injuries that saw her end up in hospital. However, a judge at Manchester Magistrates’ Court has now cleared him of any wrongdoing, saying it was not certain that Mr Anderson 'went on not caring whether she was hurt or not'. The court was told how Mrs McGoldrick slipped her hand behind the TV box’s security cable in an effort to hang on because she could not hold it normally due to her injured thumbs. But seconds later she ended up on the floor and in serious pain as Tesco workers grabbed Mr Anderson and pulled him while he was holding the TV - taking the trapped woman with them. CCTV footage was shown at court where a judge called the incident ‘extraordinary’ and said ‘excitement and tension’ had built up before the reduced Blaupunkt TVs were unveiled. The video showed dozens of shoppers piling into Tesco to get their hands on discounted goods as part of the annual US tradition of Black Friday, which has received a controversial reception since being brought to Britain in 2008. Arriving at the store just ten minutes before the 12am opening time on November 28 last year, Mr Anderson, of Middleton, Manchester, managed to get to the front of the queuing throng - beating some shoppers who had waited for up to four hours. Black plastic sheets covering a pallet of cheap TVs were still in place at 12.15am at the store in Burnage, Manchester, which led to shoppers becoming ‘frustrated’ and ‘upset’, the court heard. Scroll down for video . Fracas: Mr Anderson (wearing the grey hat, circled) 'strategised' his shopping and grabbed a TV near the bottom of a pallet, only for Julie McGoldrick (in the light blue jacket) to grab the same one at the same time . When the sheets were eventually lifted, cameras captured the ‘free-for-all’, with customers pushing and shoving to get the best chance of grabbing their discounted sets. Mrs McGoldrick had attended the Tesco with her 30-year-old daughter Marie to try to grab a bargain TV for her, while Mr Anderson had arrived with his mother, girlfriend and young child. After the incident, police were called and arrested Mr Anderson, while Mrs McGoldrick was taken  to hospital where it was feared she had broken her wrist. She was released the next day with bruising. CCTV footage of the moment Mrs McGoldrick fell to the floor was played repeatedly in court as it was argued Tesco employees can be seen pulling Mr Anderson which ultimately lead to her injury. Mrs McGoldrick described the five minutes before midnight as ‘chaotic’. She said: ‘I put my hands out and around a box. I don’t have use of my two thumbs. 'So I put my hand through the wire and grabbed it with my forefingers. I was holding the box and then people were coming forward to get other boxes around me. Video: CCTV footage of the moment Mrs McGoldrick (in light blue jacket) fell to the floor was played as it was argued Tesco employees can be seen pulling Mr Anderson (in grey hat) which ultimately lead to her injury . ‘The box was grabbed quite violently and I fell back. Then as I looked up I saw the same gentleman who is here today. He could have had the TV but I couldn’t let go because my arm was in the wiring. ‘I was saying "Let go, I can’t let go of the TV, can you please let go?" I was trying to pull the cord to release my arm. Once my arm was released I felt sick and shaken. ‘Somebody had gone to get frozen peas but an ambulance had already been called.’ Mr Anderson told the court that he had gone to another nearby Tesco earlier in the evening but had moved on because it looked like they only had coffee machines on the pallet. He added: ‘I had to strategise. I thought they would all go for the TVs at the top so I went for the bottom and picked the TV.’ He faced a day-long trial but was cleared of common assault. After the hearing Mr Anderson said: ‘I knew it was going to be a tussle. I’m not sure why a middle-aged woman was there anyway. In attendance: Mrs McGoldrick had attended the Tesco store in Burnage, Manchester, with her daughter Marie to try to grab a bargain TV for her, while Mr Anderson had arrived with his mother, girlfriend and young child . ‘When you go to something like that you know what you are in for. I’m sorry the lady’s hand got caught. There was nothing I could do. Everyone wanted to get a TV. Timed to follow Thanksgiving, Black Friday was an all-American tradition marking the beginning of the Christmas shopping rush. US stores have made the day a huge event, promising big short-term discounts to create excitement and queues outside shops. But it has been marred in recent years by aggression among shoppers. In 2013, an 11-year-old girl was taken to hospital after being trampled by a crowd in New Boston, Ohio. In 2008, a Walmart worker died after being crushed by frenzied customers at a Long Island store. It is thought Black Friday, first brought to the UK seven years ago by online retailer Amazon, was so named as it is the day stores go ‘into the black’ financially. Last November police chiefs appealed for calm after sales-crazed shoppers sparked a wave of disorder and violence. Bargain hunters were accused of behaving like animals as they grappled over coffee machines, hair-dryers and computers. 'There was no-one going out to injure people. I don’t know why she put her hand in the security tag. I didn’t even get my TV in the end. I even missed out on the Sainsbury’s sale at 6am because the police held me until the afternoon. ‘Everyone was there looking for a bargain and that’s all it was. I thought I would get a TV quickly without people realising and she has seen me come up with a TV and thought "I will have that one". There was nothing I could do. I’m just a bargain hunter.' He added: 'After that I didn’t even go to the January sales. I’m going to stop going to sales. I would rather pay full price because it’s not worth it if this is what ends up happening.’ Clearing Mr Anderson of wrongdoing, District Judge Anthony Carr said: ‘Mrs McGoldrick tried to get one or two TVs disappearing before her eyes, and did get her hand on a box - and unfortunately got her hand through the wires, because she thought that was the best way to hold on to it. ‘Mr Anderson is taken to one side and Mrs McGoldrick is taken to one side with him because she is attached to the box. I have to be satisfied that he went on not caring whether she was hurt or not - and I can’t be.’ No Tesco staff directly involved in the melee were called to give evidence. After Black Friday last year, police were called to eight Tesco stores in Greater Manchester and three men were arrested. At the time, Greater Manchester Police’s Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy said the incidents were ‘totally predictable’, and criticised supermarkets over their security arrangements.
Andrew Anderson was accused of forcing Julie McGoldrick to the floor . Fought over TV reduced from £199 to £99 at Tesco store in Manchester . Frenzied scenes saw him grab TV before Tesco workers pulled him away . 43-year-old had jumped queue and admitted he 'knew what I was in for'