A FELIXSTOWE pensioner who indecently touched a schoolboy has been spared an immediate jail sentence.Today, Monday, a judge at Ipswich Crown Court passed a suspended jail sentence on Robert Johnston to allow him to continue as the principle carer for his seriously disabled wife.

A FELIXSTOWE pensioner who indecently touched a schoolboy has been spared an immediate jail sentence.

Today, Monday, a judge at Ipswich Crown Court passed a suspended jail sentence on Robert Johnston to allow him to continue as the principle carer for his seriously disabled wife.

Sentencing Johnston, Judge Nicholas Beddard, said the offences he had committed were not the worst of their kind to come before the court. However, they were unacceptable behaviour for an adult and had been alarming for the boy.

Judge Beddard passed a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years and ordered Johnston to sign on the sex offenders register for seven years.

Johnston, of Ascot Drive, Felixstowe, was found guilty by a jury in October of two offences of indecent assault on a 10-year-old boy, he had denied the charges.

The 76-year-old told the court he had cuddled the boy and tried to kiss him after the youngster called at his home to clean the pensioner's car.

The court also heard that he had squeezed the boy's bottom, sat him on his lap and told him he was beautiful.

Johnston had denied the charges of indecent assault and all the allegations made about his behaviour.

During the trial in October, Johnston admitted lying to police over the amount of money he had given the boy.

He said he had given him £35 but only told officers that it had been £5 because he claimed he would have looked a "silly old fool" for parting with so much cash.

He had given the boy £5 for cleaning his car and an extra £30 because the boy said he was saving up to buy a birthday present for a relative.

Johnston said that on the day of the offences his wife, who is disabled, had been at home with him.

He strenuously denied the boy's allegations and described them as "ridiculous". He denied that anything inappropriate had happened with the youngster.

But the jury found him guilty of two offences of indecent assault. He has since signed the sex offenders' register provisionally.