A LATIN teacher from Pinner has been cleared of molesting boys in his class over a three-year period.

Michael Gordon, 55, had been accused of ten counts of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13 and two further counts of sexual assault between ASeptember 2006 and April 2009.

The experienced Latin and Maths teacher this afternoon was cleared of all charges and walked free from Southwark Crown Court.

During the trial, he had been accused of stroking three boys' thighs on a regular basis during classes, and rubbing his groin against their backsides.

However, Mr Gordon, of Thrush Green, argued what happened had been “misinterpreted” by the boys, describing his actions simply as “horseplay”.

The jury rejected the prosecutions case that Mr Gordon's actions, at a London prep school outside Harrow where he has taught since 2001, were sexual in nature.

Mr Gordon, a married father-of-one who is a member of Pinner and Northwood Liberal Synagogue, was arrested in April last year and charged with the offences.

He said in court: “What to me was innocent behaviour, stupid and whatever it may have been, has been misinterpreted, with some justification in terms of what I was doing.”

He told jurors his life had been shattered by the allegation, saying: “When I go to synagogue, what are people there thinking about me?"