A man has been cleared of stealing a purse from the mother of his former school friend.
Barry Fairbrother, 34, of Kingsmere, Benfleet, was said to have snatched the purse after sneaking into the house in Phillpot Avenue, Southend.
Basildon Crown Court was told the house was the home of Fairbrother's pal Graham Watkins, whose mother, Veronica, claimed she saw the defendant walking away from there in January this year.
She later discovered that her purse, containing £100 and credit cards, was missing from a kitchen worktop.
Mrs Watkins, who said she had known the defendant for 20 years through her son, admitted she had not see him full-face but had only caught a glimpse of his profile for a second or so from a bedroom window.
Defence barrister Christopher Paxton told the jury Mrs Watkins must have made a genuine and honest mistake.
Mr Fairbrother pleaded not guilty to burglary, saying he was nowhere near the house that day and had not even been in Southend.
Following submissions by Mr Paxton, Judge Christopher Mitchell directed the jury to return a not guilty verdict on the burglary charge.
The judge said it was a case of "poor-quality recognition" on the part of Mrs Watkins.
Published Thursday August 5, 2004
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