A MAN jailed after being found guilty of sexually molesting a girl at a swimming pool has failed to get his conviction overturned.

Raizwan Akhtar, 27, of Hozier Street, Blackburn, was jailed for 15 months at Bradford Crown Court after being found guilty in December 2001 of indecent assault.

London's Criminal Appeal Court yesterday refused to grant him permission to challenge his conviction, concluding there were no arguable grounds to say the verdict was "unsafe".

Lord Justice Latham, sitting with Mr Justice Gage and Mr Justice Eady, accepted the trial judge failed to give the jury certain directions but he said the evidence against Akhtar had been "overwhelming".

On September 17, 2000, a 13-year-old girl was at a Bradford swimming pool when she complained of being indecently assaulted by a man who had put his hands inside her costume and touched her private parts.

She gave a detailed description of the man, adding that he had been wearing green briefs.

"She said, in fact, she had seen him at the swimming pool the previous Saturday when he approached her -- she thought he was harassing her -- by asking for her name and telephone number," the judge said.

"The incident was also seen by her brother who equally described in particular the fact that the man was wearing green briefs."

An identification parade was held in February 2001, by video, and both the girl and her brother picked out Akhtar from the pictures they were shown.

He was arrested and denied absolutely any indecent assault. He admitted having been at the pool and agreed he had green briefs.

"When it came to trial, he gave evidence to the effect he had in fact been at the pool with his girlfriend," the judge said.

"He said he had not mentioned that to the police in his interview because he was Muslim and she was Hindu and he did not wish to cause difficulties at that stage."

But when he realised he was to be charged, he and she decided she should give evidence, the court was told.

"Both their accounts were to the effect there was no question of his having been in the vicinity of the girl at the time she had made her complaint of indecent assault," the judge said. "The jury, having heard that evidence, convicted Akhtar."

His QC, Mukhtar Hussain, contended the conviction was "unsafe" because the judge failed to give certain directions to the jury.

One related to his failure to tell the jurors how they should deal with the fact that Akhtar had not told police he had been at the pool with his girlfriend.

He also failed to warn them that if they decided the girlfriend's evidence was untrue, that did not necessarily mean Akhtar was guilty, and that an innocent person could seek to put forward a lying account.