Tears in court as Leslie is cleared of sexual assault
Ex-Blue Peter presenter John Leslie wept after he was cleared of groping a woman at a party in 2008.
The former TV star was accused of grabbing a woman' s breast sat a celebrity Christmas party but said the incident never happened.
The 55-year-old walked free from Southwark Crown Court after a jury of nine men and three women found him not guilty of sexual assault following just 25 minutes deliberation.
An emotional Leslie, from Edinburgh, banged his fore - head on the glass of the dock before putting his hand over his face and weeping.
His father, Les Stott, sat in the public gallery and burst into tears at the verdict before the pair shared a glance and then hugged as he left the dock.
The court had previously heard a woman claimed, out of nowhere, the "over-excited" presenter who "didn't get out much" grabbed her breasts and gave a" hear ty laugh" when she introduced himself to him.
Witnesses in the London West End bar testified they were told about the alleged incident 12 years ago, but did not see it.
Leslie, however, said he was "paranoid" after being previously falsely named by Matthew Wright as Ulrika Jonsson's TV presenter rapist that she discussed in her autobiography and" it was not in his nature" to touch a woman inappropriately.
Famous faces Fern Britton, Anthea Turner, Yvette Fielding and Diane-louise Jordan, from his time presenting This Morning and Blue Peter, all gave character statements to support their friend, calling him a "gentleman".
Gudrun Young, defending, told the court that Leslie had been the victim of" trial by media" and that the alleged victim's account was riddled with inconsistencies.
Addressing the jury, she said: "If you knew anything about him I would suggest the two things you would have talked about are Blue Peter and sexual impropriety of some sort since 2002.
"Yet he is, and remains, a man of good character. No convictions, no cautions. It has never been established that he has done anything wrong to anybody.”
She branded his treatment a "media witch hunt."
She added :" His career ruined, his life blighted by completely unfounded alle - gations. He has been made to look, in the tabloid press, like some sort of monster. All without a single shred of evidence. This time at least its being tried in a court of law. Rather than just a lot of people opening the front of the Mirror or the Sun or Daily Mail."
Turning to the alleged victim's evidence, she said: "There were some very odd things in the account that she gave some bits that didn' t really make sense end some bits that didn't match up to other evidence in the case. She was changing, adapting, massaging her evidence to account for the bizarre fact that she says that this man went up in full view of others to commit this brazen sexual assault but noone seems to have seen it."
She pleaded with the jury to return a not guilty verdict and added: ""Its just not credible. It just didn't happen. He knows he's done nothing and he has nothing to hide.”