Andrew Lancel played Frank Foster in the ITV soap
A former Coronation Street actor has been cleared of four counts of indecently assaulting a 15-year-old boy.
Andrew Watkinson, 42, from Liverpool, had been on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of indecently assaulting a teenage boy in the 1990s.
Mr Watkinson, whose professional name is Andrew Lancel, played Frank Foster in the ITV soap.
The jury took just 29 minutes to clear the star.
TearsThe judge ruled he was not guilty of two other counts on Thursday.
Judge Clement Goldstone QC directed the jury to find Mr Watkinson not guilty on two of six counts he originally faced because the complainant said he could not be sure the alleged abuse happened before he turned 15.
He was charged in November of indecently assaulting the youngster in 1994 when the pair met at a theatre group.
Mr Watkinson, who appeared in Coronation Street between January 2011 and March 2012, denied any sexual contact ever took place and claimed he acted as a "sort of mentor" to the boy.
The actor, who also appeared in Cardiac Arrest, bit his lip and looked to the ceiling as his wife Louise burst into tears in the public gallery when the verdict was delivered.
Corrie star cleared of abuse of boy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-22846712#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
No comments:
Post a Comment