A basketball coach accused of smacking a boy on his bare bottom has been cleared by a jury at Lewes Crown Court.

Former soldier Anthony Awcock, 52, of Bentswood Crescent, Haywards Heath, denied six charges of indecent assault.

The jury spent just 30 minutes considering its verdict before acquitting him of all charges yesterday.

Supporters sitting in the public gallery looked relieved as Mr Awcock, a coach for 31 years, walked free from the dock.

The prosecution accused Mr Awcock during a four-day trial of pulling down a 12-year-old boy's shorts and underpants, putting him across his knee and spanking his bare bottom during a training session.

Five of the offences related to the boy, who said he was assaulted during an 18-month period which ended in July last year when he complained to his brother and a friend.

During the trial, the judge had directed the jury to clear Mr Awcock of two of the offences because of lack of evidence.

The other offence related to a 14-year-old boy. He said he had been smacked on the bottom and then his shorts had been lowered to see if there was a mark.

Mr Awcock told the jury he had never smacked any boy's naked bottom.

He had no explanation why the two boys made the accusations against him.

He admitted he had patted the players' bottoms but denied it was for sexual reasons.

He said he had regularly patted their bottoms, always over their clothes, as motivational encouragement or as a joke.

It was a habit he picked up while playing with American basketball players, where it was normal practice to whack each other on the backside.

He said: "It is a pat or a tap on the backside. I would never hit a child.

"I have never taken anybody's shorts or pants down."

Mr Awcock told the jury he had been a professional coach for many years but since the allegations, he had to give up the work.