Former England footballer, Paul Gascoigne who was accused of planting a “sloppy”, drunken kiss on a fellow train passenger has been cleared today (Oct. 17) by a jury at Teesside Crown Court of sexual assault.
The 52-year-old ex-Newcastle United, Spurs and Lazio midfielder denied "forcefully and sloppily" kissing the fellow passenger on a service from York to Newcastle in August 2018, saying it was not sexual, and that he kissed the stranger to boost her confidence after he heard someone call her fat.
Mr Gascoigne reportedly appeared to be weeping with cheers of "yes" from the public gallery as the jury delivered its verdict.
The jury has been told they can consider a lesser, alternative count of assault by beating after they cleared him of sexual assault.
Jury Michelle Heeley QC, defending, told jurors the former footballer kissed a woman who was not expecting it and did not like it, but that did not make him a sex offender.
She said the kiss lasted two or three seconds, was on a packed train, and was not preceded by any "lecherous comment", touching or groping.
Prosecutor William Mousley QC also said that Gascoigne had repeatedly lied about what happened, claiming that someone had abused the woman.
He said: "There's an obvious reason as to why he lied and that's because he knows he is guilty of sexual assault but wants to put up a smokescreen, cause a diversion, suggest it was not as it so obviously was."
The prosecution said none of the supplied images showed him kissing women in the way he kissed the complainant, to which Gascoigne interjected: "Not in these ones, no."
When told he had kissed the woman, who cannot be identified, "in circumstances that any reasonable person would describe as sexual", Gascoigne said: "There was no sexual intent."
But the jury is still considering an alternative charge of assault by beating.
