A 42-year-old Bromyard man has been cleared of a sexual assault charge.

Jesse Frayling, of Sandown, Munderfield, Bromyard, was discharged at Worcester Crown Court after a jury of nine women and three men returned a not guilty verdict.

Frayling was accused of an attack on an 18-year-old girl he met at the Job Centre in Hereford in April 2010.

She claimed that that he made sexual comments leading up to an incident in Castle Green, Hereford. He said he wanted to have sex with her and described her as "gorgeous and sexy".

But prosecutor Jason Pegg said the girl made it clear that she had a boyfriend and was not interested in him. Despite this, she claimed he forced a kiss upon her and tried to undo her jeans.

When arrested, Frayling admitted her was "a bit drunk" after drinking a litre of cider but denied grabbing or touching the girl.

Giving evidence, Frayling dismissed any sex talk and insisted their conversation was perfectly innocent.

He said their meeting ended with a consensual kiss.

Defence counsel Julian Harris maintained that the teenager had ample opportunity to speak to a passer-by if she had felt any concern about Frayling.

He described Frayling as a naive man "not of great sophistication" who had felt sympathy for the girl after drinking cider.

Judge Robert Juckes QC told the jury in his summing up that it was a question of who they believed because there were no independent witnesses.