A sandwich bar manager has been cleared of groping a female customer just yards from the highest court in the country.
Antonio Repole, 46, of Dacre Close, Aveley, maintained he had brushed against the 18-year-old accidentally, while reaching across the counter for a packet of crisps.
He told the jury: "It was a complete accident. I immediately apologised."
Mr Repole was also alleged to have made admiring comments about the teenager's figure several times before last August's incident.
London's Southwark Crown Court heard that Mr Repole managed Brunels Sandwich Bar in the Strand - directly opposite the High Court in the Strand, where the victim worked. He was found not guilty of one count of indecent assault.
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