A PENSIONER has been cleared of indecently assaulting a schoolgirl who befriended him.

Anthony Hayward, 69, of Beech Avenue, Pinehurst, was found not guilty at Swindon Magistrates Court yesterday.

He was arrested in January after she accused him of touching her inappropriately.

The 13-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, claims she became increasingly uncomfortable when Mr Hayward kept calling her "his favourite" and joking that when she reached 16 he would take her out.

Matters came to a head one weekend in November last year. The girl claimed he patted her on the bottom at his home then gave her "slobbery" kiss on the neck as she was leaving.

In a police interview that was played at Swindon Magistrates Court, she said: "He's got no teeth and he just kind of kissed me it was all wet around my neck. I just wanted to go. I felt pretty sick."

The next day with another girl she joined Mr Hayward at a party where it was alleged that he touched the girl on the thigh.

Both of the girls became very drunk and returned to their homes, where the girl told her father's partner what had happened. But defence solicitor Philip Hall said the alleged indecency had been an "innocent social gesture" on Mr Hayward's part, and that the victim and her friend had exaggerated their story so they wouldn't be told off by their parents for getting drunk at the party.

Mr Hall said: "Their families were not happy and this gave them the chance to raise a smokescreen."

During the hearing Mr Hayward said: "I sat by her and we were laughing and joking I just patted her on the leg that's all I done. There was no intention of anything else whatsoever. They are a lovely couple of girls, I wouldn't do anything to harm them."

Summing up, the Chairman of the Bench, Mrs Angela Watts, said: "A right minded person would not find the actions wholly indecent however they would find it inadvisable given the disparity in age.We do not feel the evidence is sufficient therefore we find you not guilty."

Diane Milne,