A REVIEW will take place to see whether a Basingstoke headteacher can return to work after he was acquitted of fondling a teenage boy.

A jury at Winchester Crown Court took just 50 minutes this morning to return not guilty verdicts in the trial of Andrew Howard, the suspended headteacher of Velmead Junior School, in Fleet, for two charges of sexual activity with a child under 16.

The 46-year-old, of Mulberry Way, Chineham, denied the charges, saying the events never took place.

After this morning’s hearing, a spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “In accordance with the procedures where an employee facing such charges is found not guilty, it is necessary for the governing body and local authority to review the situation before making a decision about whether a return to work is appropriate: this process is likely to take a few weeks.

“We shall be starting this process immediately. In the meanwhile, for legal reasons we are unable to comment on this matter further pending the outcome of this review, but we hope it will be concluded at the earliest opportunity.”