Driving instructor tells student 'boobs would make a good mobile phone holder'

David Austin, 59, made the remark as he pressed his phone into the teenager's cleavage.

Another girl of the same age was left "distressed and upset" after he suggested she should undo buttons on her top as punishment for missing lessons then lunged at her.

Twice-married Austin, who was convicted of two charges of sexual assault, was spared jail yesterday.

Instead, he received a 12-month supervision order and was told to do 80 hours of unpaid community work.

Judge John Holt told him: "You took advantage of two young, female pupils. You are a touchy-feely type of person but on these two occasions you allowed your behaviour to cross the line and caused distress to each of these pupils."

The instructor had already been punished "significantly", he added.

He has lost his career as a result of the case, leading to "considerable" debts and his partner had walked out on him.

Austin, of Chedburgh, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, had 20 years' experience teaching learner drivers and was self-employed under the company name Intuition.

He was accused of harassing the girls as they drove his Seat Ibiza between August and October last year.

The first girl told Ipswich Crown Court how, after having a number of lessons with Austin, he pushed his phone against her chest and told her: "Your boobs would make a good mobile phone holder."

The other victim was told to drive into the countryside after cancelling a number of lessons.

Austin told her: "You have not got enough buttons to undo for missed lessons."

He then tugged at her top, saying: "You owe me some excitement."

In court he claimed he said he wanted 'some enlightenment' as to why she cancelled the lessons. The instructor was arrested after she reported the incident to police when they visited her workplace on an unrelated matter.

Austin faced two further sexual assault charges for touching the girls' legs but was found not guilty.

He claimed he had "innocently" touched the top of their thighs with the back of his hand to reassure them if they were nervous or tapped their knees as a warning if they lifted their foot off the clutch too suddenly.

During the trial, he admitted his behaviour had been "inappropriate and stupid" in hindsight.

But he said he had always made it clear pupils should tell him if they didn't like him touching them.

Prosecutor Andrew Thompson told the court: "Although they weren't the most serious sexual touchings, they were clearly unpleasant and caused distress and humiliation to these two young women, especially in the context of their relationship with the defendant as their driving instructor."

Austin, who is now living in a hostel, was also placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for five years.

The Driving Standards Agency yesterday confirmed it was removing him from its list of approved instructors.