Langham: Not guilty

In his ongoing trial, the comedy writer and actor Chris Langham (Help, The Muppet Show, Not The Nine O'Clock News, People Like Us, The Thick of It), has been cleared of four charges of indecently assaulting a girl under 16 years of age between 1996 and 1998.

The jury at Maidstone Crown Court were informed by Judge Statman: "The Crown accepts that there is no evidence to support these particular counts on the indictment." The foreman of the jury was then formally asked to return not guilty verdicts on the four charges in question.

Mr Langham, 58, denies a further six counts of indecent assault, two of serious sexual assault, and 15 counts of making an indecent image of a child in 2005.

Appearing in the witness box for the first time this morning, Mr Langham said: "They had me on a plate because I said I did it, but they weren't happy. They wanted to convict me on the basis I had an abnormal interest in children, that I'm a paedophile, and I'm not. That part of the crime is a life sentence, and that is the part of the crime I did not do. I have to stand up and tell you the truth but I will not stand here and admit a crime I didn't commit.

"I'd like to make it clear I am not taking the crime I committed lightly. I did it in an arrogant way, I know who I am. I know who I am. And I did a very arrogant thing to not think that the law applied to me."

The case continues.