Tennis coach cleared but still faces jail

Marc Lewis, 26, of Farm Road, a former Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) young coach of the year, was found not guilty of attacking the 15-year-old after a champagne supper at a Cricklewood casino in August 2002.

He slumped in the dock at the Old Bailey on Friday last week and sobbed loudly as the jury returned the not guilty verdict.

But what the jury did not know was that Lewis had already admitted two charges of having underage sex with a different 15-year-old girl.

Lewis used to coach at the Temple Fortune Club in Bridge Lane, Golders Green, and had worked with some of the brightest young prospects in the game. Now his career lies in ruins and his coaching badge has been revoked by the LTA.

The girl who accused him of rape, now 17, had claimed Lewis attacked her after plying her with alcohol at a time when she was having family problems.

Lewis took her to the Grosvenor Casino in Edgware Road, Cricklewood, and gave her champagne before taking her back to his home in Edgware, where the girl said she was attacked.

Lewis admitted taking the girl to the casino was 'inappropriate' but denied any sexual contact with the girl. He said he did not think there had been anything wrong with taking her to his house, saying he thought he could help her with her family problems.

The girl went to the police the day after the alleged attack, only to withdraw her complaint days later. She claimed she had done so because she was scared Lewis would kill her, but the jury of six men and six women did not find her a credible witness.

The court heard that a medical examination of the girl revealed no evidence of intercourse or injuries consistent with her claim.

Police had reopened the case last summer when the allegations concerning a second girl came to light.

Lewis has admitted two charges of having unlawful sexual intercourse with the second girl and faces a further court hearing on June 11 when he could receive a prison sentence.