Sunderland's Bramble found not guilty of sexual assault

Sunderland defender Titus Bramble was cleared yesterday of sexually assaulting two women.

The centre-half was found not guilty by a jury at Teesside Crown Court following a four-day trial. Bramble, 30, was accused of groping a woman in a nightclub in Yarm, Teesside, before sexually assaulting another in a taxi home.

Bramble told jurors that one of the complainants was "touchy-feely and flirty" and kissed him "passionately" in a taxi from the Cross Keys nightclub. But the complainant claimed he twice grabbed her hand and put it on his crotch. Bramble's defence lawyer Ronnie Jaffa said the woman made the allegation to "save face" after she regretted kissing him.

Bramble consistently denied all charges.