Sorry Paul Gascoigne, you might be ‘not guilty’ but your behaviour is still appalling

Gascoigne’s lawyer said that his client kissed a woman who ‘didn’t like it’, but that didn’t make him a sex offender. It’s hardly a victory

Former England footballer Paul Gascoigne has been found not guilty on charges of sexual assault, after kissing a woman he encountered on a train last August. His defence that he “gave a peck on the lips to boost her confidence” after she had been called “a fat lass” by other passengers might have played well with the jury, but it raises questions about what constitutes acceptable behaviour on public transport.

The woman concerned said that Gascoigne had tried to sit on her lap, grabbed her face and kissed her full on the lips, “completely out of the blue”. Gascoigne’s lawyer said that his client might have kissed a woman who “didn’t like it”, but that didn’t make him a sex offender.

Other passengers confirmed that Gascoigne had been noisy, was drinking lager out of a milk bottle and had food smeared over his face, but the ex-footballer said his speech was slurred because he wasn’t wearing his false teeth.

Now he’s been cleared of the alleged offence, Gascoigne can apply to have his defence costs paid. He’s clearly a man with issues, who has struggled with alcoholism, but that doesn’t excuse revolting behaviour. He was also found not guilty on a lesser charge of assault by beating.

How can he walk out of court smiling and celebrating a “victory” when his behaviour must have been thoroughly unpleasant, for one person at least?