Grandad, 76, wins appeal against sex assault conviction on nurse

A short-sighted granddad who touched a nurse's breast while 'trying to read the name badge' has won an appeal against his conviction. Retired business consultant Andrew Sington, of Hale, had been found guilty of sexual assault by magistrates but today (Friday) that conviction was quashed.

The 76-year-old widower, who was compared to the animated cartoon character Mr Magoo by his lawyer at the trial in November, admitted touching the female nurse's fleece and agreed that it was 'socially inappropriate'. He told the judge 'in my mind I did not touch her breast'.

Following the incident on November 13, 2021 at Rowan View medium secure mental unit on Merseyside, Mr Sington, who was not wearing his spectacles, said to the nurse: "I am sorry I didn't mean to touch your boob, I was just checking your name." He had been at the unit with his partner to visit a patient and the nurse, who is in her 40s, was left in a state of 'shock and disbelief' and later reported the incident to senior colleagues.

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She told the court that when introduced, Mr Sington patted her on the arm, which she dismissed as some people are quite tactile. She was wearing a fleece with the hospital emblem on one side and her name embroidered on the other side and later in the visit, while standing right in front of her, he reached across with the flat of his left hand and touched her left breast over her clothing.

Her colleague immediately intervened by putting his arm in front of her and told how there had then been an awkward atmosphere. He pointed out to Mr Sington that they had already been introduced and there was no need to touch.

Mr Sington maintained that he had just reached over and