A BUSINESSMAN who lured a schoolgirl to a secret rendezvous by posing as a teenager over the Internet told last night of his relief after being cleared of indecently assaulting the youngster.

Clive Rudd, of Hunters Hill, Gayle, near Hawes, North Yorkshire, posed as 18-year old Brad to befriend the girl after chatting to her sister over the Internet.

But when he realised his cover would be blown if he met the 16-year-old in person, he contacted her pretending to be Brad's father and said his son was in intensive care following a car smash.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how the 62-year-old then struck up a friendship with the girl and said he would like to meet her as she was a friend of his son.

The court heard how he filled the youngster's head full of lies about how his son was in and out of danger in the hospital and had subsequently died.

He even said he had placed a rose on his son's coffin on her behalf.

The girl agreed to allow Mr Rudd to travel from his home to meet her near St. James' Park in Newcastle, where there was sexual activity between the two.

The girl, who cannot be named, said she did not consent to the encounter in his car and Mr Rudd was charged with indecent assault. But after less than an hour, a jury found him not guilty.

He had told the court: "The car was open all the time. She was in there half-an-hour and at no stage did she ever protest or try to stop me. She did not have to get in the car."

Prosecutor Christopher Prince had said Mr Rudd had been "groping and grabbing" the girl and Mr Rudd replied: "Yes, and she was doing the same to me."

Mr Rudd, who works abroad as a fire and safety contractor, told The Northern Echo last night: "The result has come as a massive relief. This is the best Christmas present my family could have wished for.

"The entire case has been a shambles from beginning to end. The last 11 months have been hell for my wife, Jennifer, and myself, but she has stood by me throughout the whole ordeal and we just want to get on with our lives.

"I've never denied that myself and the girl groped each other, but I have always maintained that we both consented."