A NORTH Yorkshire businessman accused of paying prostitutes to find him young girls for sex was cleared by a jury at Teesside Crown Court.

David Preston Dussold, 46, of Byre Cottage, Hutton-le-Hole, was found not guilty yesterday of two charges of incitement to procure a girl under 21 for unlawful sexual intercourse.

The prosecution had alleged that Mr Dussold, a self-employed builder, urged two prostitutes to find him schoolgirls for sex after meeting them through a prostitutes website.

The two prostitutes, aged 21 and 18, from the red light area of Middlesbrough, accused Mr Dussold of handing over cash on the condition that they arranged a meeting with children as young as seven.

But Mr Dussold denied the charges and told the court he had no interest "in sex with young girls". He accused the prostitutes of being drug addicts and claimed he had been robbed of £400 by one girl's boyfriend.

Cleveland police had raided his home last September, in an early morning assault, taking away computer equipment. Examining it for traces of child pornography, they found none. The jury, of six men and six women, found Mr Dussold not guilty after only 45 minutes.

Updated: 11:45 Thursday, August 01, 2002