An Abergavenny councillor has been cleared of the harassment of a teenager at trial, but the judge called the relationship inappropriate.

Kyle Eldridge, who represents the Park Ward on Abergavenny Town Council, was found not guilty on one charge of harassment without violence on Tuesday morning at Newport Magistrates’ Court.

While handing down the verdict, the Judge, Sophie Toms, said the limited evidence put forward by the prosecution did not help the case against Mr Eldridge but agreed that it was “not appropriate” for the 28-year-old to have had a relationship with somebody so young.

Eldridge told the court, while being questioned, he had met the girl while she was 15 years old and was friendly with the family, but that by April 2024 their relationship had soured.

It was put to the prosecution that more messages, call logs, emails and evidence from the girl’s mother, who was mentioned considerably during the hearing, could have provided more clarity on the situation.

The girl, who can not be named due to legal reasons, was not present in court on the day.

The prosecution’s request for a non-conviction restraining order was also declined on the basis that Eldridge had not breached any bail conditions or attempted to make contact with the teenager at any time since being charged.

The court listened to 13 voice messages that the defendant had sent to the girl via Instagram, one via email and was shown a letter that he had handed to her in person at her place of work. However, the Judge ruled that while the contact was excessive and “somewhat odd,” the correspondence was in no way threatening and that there appeared to be a two-way rapport at times.

It was also pointed out that the prosecution’s claim that Eldridge had approached the girl at different locations in the town, including those where she has worked, were not particularised within the charge against him.

The councillor’s character was also mentioned as the verdict was delivered, where he was described as a clean character who had provided two consistent accounts of his own version of events.

A medical report read out the court stated that, having been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and OCD in 2011, the defendant should be considered as having a disability under the Equalities Act 2010, something which he was open about in the hearing.

He said his disabilities make it difficult for him to process emotions and he finds it easier to relate to people much younger and/or older than himself.

Although the defendant’s disability did have to be considered, which the prosecution needed to be reminded of, the court was told that the councillor’s cognitive and intellectual abilities were good.

It is unclear whether Eldridge will be welcomed back to former roles on the board at local schools and, indeed, positions he previously held on the Town Council.