A BODYBUILDER accused of flouting a court order by feeling a 16-year-old Bolton boy's muscles and getting him to perform squats has been found not guilty.

In December 2003 Akinwale Arobieke, who is nicknamed “Purple Aki”, was jailed for 15 harassment offences, and three years later was given an order banning him from touching people’s muscles or getting them to carry out squats in a public place.

The 52-year-old, formerly of Devonshire Road, Toxteth, was also prohibited from having deliberate contact with young men under the age of 18.

He has been jailed three times for ignoring the ban and faced a week-long trial at Manchester Crown Court charged with eight further allegations that he contravened the order.

One of the people claiming to be one of Arobieke’s victims was a 16-year-old boy from Tonge Moor.

He said Arobieke and a friend visited him at his home on October 22 last year, discussed body building and felt his muscles.

Arobieke only admited he met the boy on the first occasion, but said he did not know his age and denied feeling his muscles or getting him to do squats.

He also denied allegations that he squeezed a man’s muscles after following him in Manchester city centre and denied that he did the same to two other young men at a bodybuilding competition at Event City.

He claimed that the witnesses were either mistaken or lying and the case against him is the result of a “witch hunt” by the police.

The jury was told that Arobieke has never been convicted of any sexual offence and is contesting the basis upon which the banning order was made.

He has represented himself throughout the trial, declining to give evidence in his own defence, and when Judge Richard Mansell QC invited him to make a closing speech he simply told the court: “There you have it, members of the jury.”

He was cleared unanimously by a jury within an hour of deliberations.