This morning Romford magistrates acquitted a teacher accused of spitting in a disabled pupil’s face.

Agency tutor Lewis Duah, 29, was accused of assaulting the pupil at the end of an art lesson.

But magistrates concluded this morning that there was no case to answer, partly because evidence suggested Mr Duah might have been blowing his nose.

Magistrates decided a jury would be unable to convict somebody based on the available evidence, meaning Mr Duah could not be prosecuted.

The teacher, who lives at Rush Green Road, had appeared before the court on Friday in the first day of the trial, pleading not guilty as the evidence was heard.

Inconsistencies in the evidence submitted by his accuser, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were highlighted to magistrates and Mr Duah was cleared of common assault and released from the court.