THE wife of a Bolton garage owner has vowed to stand by him after he was jailed for indecently assaulting a teenage girl.

Keith Knowles, aged 60, who owns an MOT station on Hanover Street, Bolton, was sent jailed for 12 months and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register for 10 years when he appeared at Bolton Crown Court. He had earlier been convicted after a three day trial.

And as he was starting his sentence the father of his victim said: "We are happy that justice has been served and we now want to put this whole episode behind us.

"It has been a long and difficult time for us and our daughter but she is gradually getting over the ordeal." The court had heard how the girl had taken 20 painkillers and phoned a relative saying she wanted to die after the assault.

Prosecutor June Morris said that last December Knowles' daughter invited a friend to sleep over at the family's home in Manchester Road, Kearsley.

The two friends shared a double bed but the friend had difficulty sleeping. "She heard Knowles, his wife and two friends coming in from a night out," said Mrs Morris.

"Ten minutes later she heard someone enter the bedroom and she pretended to be asleep."

Mrs Morris said the girl, who cannot be named, was then indecently assaulted.

"She was very frightened," added Mrs Morris. "She opened her eyes and saw it was her friend's father Keith Knowles."

Knowles immediately left the room and the girl woke her friend and told her what happened. Both cried and comforted each other.

The next morning the girl told another of Knowles' daughters what had happened, who in turn told Mrs Knowles. "The Knowles' had a conference with the girl present and she was instructed not to tell anybody what had happened," said Mrs Morris.

But in January of this year the girl broke down and told her mother, the police were informed and Knowles was arrested.

When interviewed Knowles admitted going into the bedroom and touching the girl on the stomach but nothing more.

"His actions were a consequence of his belief that the girls might have been engaged in lesbian activity," said Mrs Morris. "He said he was checking whether they were wearing clothes or were naked."

The court heard father-of-four Knowles, had served in the Army for 17 years before opening the Hanover Street garage.

Mr Wayne Jackson, defending, said Knowles was of previously good character and had worked hard to build up his business but he now stood to lose everything. "Any period of custody would devastate his business which is the sole source of income for the family," said Mr Jackson. "He relies on the repeat business of customers who go there but has been forced to close down in anticipation of the court proceedings.

"He will have to live with the stigma of the conviction. These are difficult times to appear before a court charged with offences such as these."

Mr Jackson said many people had written to the court in support of Knowles.

In jailing Knowles, Judge Roberts said he hoped the sentence would act as a deterrent to others. "I recognise the consequences for you, your family and the business as a result of this," said Judge Roberts. "You did what you did when it appeared your young victim was asleep, you did what you did in gross breach of trust.

"I am quite satisfied that this offence has had an affect on the life of your victim."

Knowles' supporters and family were distraught following the hearing and continued to protest his innocence.

Mrs Knowles said afterwards: "My husband is a lovely man and I will stand by him all the way."

She added that it was too soon to consider an appeal against his conviction.

The victim's father said after the hearing:"Obviously we take our daughter's safety and where she stays very seriously and when we agreed for her to sleep over we thought she would be safe."