text: Two British best friends accused of battering a pedophile with a baseball bat have been found not guilty of all charges.
  
  Michael Loughran, 30, and Karl Carter, 27, reportedly faced up to six years in prison — longer than the 3-year sentence the child rapist they were alleged to have beaten — if convicted.
  
  But the duo were left "speechless" after a jury at Teesside Crown Court took less then an hour to clear them of the alleged assault, according to ITV.
  
  The court heard how the pair had offered up a $1,600 reward to track down the 18-year-old sex beast, who cannot be named for ongoing legal reasons.
  
  They then went to his home on June 28 "to scare" the man who'd recently been released from prison.
  
  Carter and Loughran, both from Redcar, denied wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and having an offensive weapon.
  
  Loughran did admit taking a swing at the man with a baseball bat, but said he was acting in self-defense and that it had actually belonged to his alleged victim.
  
  The pedophile suffered a cut to the head which required stapling.
  
  Carter said he was "delighted" with the verdict, which came after he and Loughran had spent five months locked up on remand.
  
  "Justice has been done. We are not having a party, I'm just going home to spend the time with my partner and my kids. That's all I want to do," he told the Hartlepool Mail.
  
  "It has been an absolute nightmare. If I could see all 12 members of the jury now, I would give them a big kiss," he added.
summary: Michael Loughran, 30, and Karl Carter, 27, reportedly faced a longer sentence than the pedophile they were alleged to have beaten.