Former Coronation Street actor Andrew Lancel cleared of indecent assault

A former Coronation Street actor was cleared of four counts of indecently assaulting a 15-year-old boy.

Andrew Lancel, 42, who played Frank Foster in the popular soap, was cleared of four charges relating to the youngster dating back to 1994 when the teenager was attending a theatre group.

The jury took just 29 minutes to clear the star of all counts. Lancel bit his lip and looked to the ceiling as his wife Louise burst into tears in the public gallery when the verdict was delivered at Liverpool Crown Court.

The actor, from Gateacre in Liverpool, was charged last November under his real name Andrew Watkinson.