A MAN who told a court he was making love to his partner at the time of an attempted burglary he was accused of committing in Hagley has been cleared by a jury.

Paul Reeve said he had been wrongly identified by CCTV on garage roof near the home of Joanne Mole in Summervale Road, Hagley.

He claimed at Worcester Crown Court that Police Sgt Stephen Mason had a grudge against him and that he had been "stitched up" as the possible culprit for the attempted burglary.

Reeve, aged 36, of Murcroft Road, Wollescote in Stourbridge, pleaded not guilty to committing the offence in November last year.

His partner, Diane Davidson, told the jury that she was in bed with him before watching the television. He did not leave the house on the day alleged by prosecutor Nicholas Berry.

Sgt Mason, who watched the CCTV, identified Reeve as one of two men seen trying to prise open windows at the unoccupied house. He claimed he had known Reeve for several years and recognised his walk and part of his face when his hood slipped.

Aimee Parsons, defending, submitted that the sergeant's evidence of identification could not be trusted by the jury because of indistinct images on the CCTV but this was rejected by Judge Robert Juckes QC.

Mr Berry said Miss Mole had locked her home before going out for the day. She was alerted by a neighbour about the intruders and it was found that her security light had been smashed.

Sgt Mason said he had known Reeve for several years and "looked after" him when he was released from prison and free from drugs. He carried out a door-step curfew and tried to stop him re-offending.

But Reeve claimed that he did not have a good relationship with the officer.

"I thought he had a grudge against me because I had been in and out of prison all my life," he said.

The jury of six men and six women took two and a half hours to reach their "not guilty" verdict.