A BIRDWATCHER accused of a sex attack on a woman at a Wigan beauty spot three years ago has been acquitted by a jury.

Andrew Makin said he had visited the woods where the attack happened but only to watch for rare birds and had denied indecently assaulting a woman out walking her dog.

He was off work at the time of the attack and he often visited Borsdane Wood, wearing clothing similar to the victim's description of her attacker.

But at the time of the sex attack he said he was suffering from a frozen shoulder and would not have gone to the woods because he could not lift his binoculars.

Mr Makin, aged 35, of Long Lane, Hindley, Wigan, had been on trial at Bolton Crown Court facing an offence of alleged indecent assault committed on January 27 1998.

The terrified victim said she had been pursued by her attacker, thrown to the floor and touched indecently while he threatened to force her to commit a sex act.

Another woman had seen the same man acting suspiciously in the woods and had given a description to police. Two years later she saw a man in the woods and called police and Mr Makin was arrested.

She and the victim made statements to the police and both picked out Mr Makin at separate identity parades held two years after the incident.

The victim had been walking her dog in Borsdane Wood on the day of the attack. She was pursued by a man who pushed her to the floor who then indecently assaulted her before running off.

The court heard earlier that Mr Makin kept at least files of drawings, photographs and pictures of rare birds he had seen in the area and also details of what he did and where he went in diaries.

He denied assaulting the woman and said he was disgusted by the thought anyone would want to do that to a woman.