A 46-YEAR-OLD man accused of performing a sex act on a bus in front of a shocked schoolgirl has claimed he is the victim of mistaken identity.

Police issued an appeal through The Bolton News and their Facebook page after obtaining CCTV images from the bus and an anonymous caller named IT worker Clement Kumah, a jury at Bolton Crown Court heard.

The trial at Bolton Crown Court was told how a 15-year-old girl, who is now aged 16 and cannot be named for legal reasons, was a passenger on the number 36 bus from Bolton to Little Hulton on New Year’s Eve, 2012.

She said she was on the top deck of the bus at 5.15pm when a man sitting across the aisle from her started to perform a sex act on himself.

The incident is said to have lasted about eight minutes and the offender got off the bus a short time later.

Police arrested Kumah after the victim picked him up out of a police line up.

Kumah, of Wateredge Close, Leigh, was charged with engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, which he denies.

He admitted he does own clothing similar to that worn by the offender but when shown the images from the bus CCTV, denied it was him, adding: “I’ll hold my hands up — it does have a striking resemblance to me.”

The case continues.