A senior Sussex police officer is having to sell up and move his family because of menacing graffiti.

Inspector Steve Curry, honoured for success in fighting crime, said: "It will cost me thousands of pounds to move but I will not allow my wife and two children to be subjected to threats."

Obscene graffiti - one saying "PC Curry's wife is a dead slut RIP" - was daubed on a children's playground near the officer's home and a man earlier knocked at his house asking for him.

The man accused of tormenting the Currys, Benjamin Adsett, was yesterday cleared by Brighton magistrates of harassment and two counts of criminal damage with graffiti.

The 19-year-old, of Old London Road, Patcham, Brighton, denied the three charges but admitted possessing a folded 4in bladed lock knife. He was jailed for six weeks but time spent on remand meant he walked free.

The court heard how, on the night of Adsett's arrest for the knife offence, the defendant told Mr Curry: "I will f****** do you."

Graffiti appeared days later and the prosecution said they were carried out by Adsett in revenge, a claim the court said could not be proved.

Mr Curry's wife Tracey, who has two children, five and seven, testified how the daubings made her scared, nervous and angry.

But Manya Sheldon, chairman of the bench, ruled there was insufficient evidence that the graffiti was daubed by Adsett.

She said: "We are not satisfied the prosecution proved the charges of harassment and criminal damage beyond reasonable doubt."

The court heard that after his arrest Adsett repeatedly made gunshot gestures and told police: "You are up to something. Well I'm up to something, something with a big bang."

Adsett's counsel Jonathan Edwards, said Mr Curry was looking for someone to blame for paint found on windows of his car, which was parked near his home but it was too tenuous to attribute to his client.

If it had been a vendetta or revenge, Mr Edwards said, it could have been better achieved by permanently damaging Mr Curry's car or putting something through his letterbox.

The court heard how Mr Curry had been commended for making 100 arrests in a year.

Adsett, with a string of previous convictions including arson and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear or violence, was ordered to pay £55 costs for the knife offence.