A Filippino staff-nurse accused of molesting one of her colleagues on night duty in a busy A&E department has been cleared by a jury in less than 20 minutes.

Joan Juanico, 38, was found not guilty of a sexual assault on a nurse, whom she had worked with for about six years.

It had been alleged that in the early hours of October 1, 2007, she had sexually assaulted the woman by touching her breast and tweaking her nipple. But Ms Juanico walked from Isleworth Court, smiling broadly and pushing her baby in a pram, having been cleared of the charges.

The complainant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, now works as a practice nurse. She had claimed during the trial that there had been a similar incident four years previously, which had involved Ms Juanico, but she had not reported the incident.

But Ms Juanico maintained any touching was unintentional and the result of her making a "jokey gesture" which was part of her "culture".

"It was not a sexual gesture at all. I have no sexual feelings towards her. I am very happy with my husband," she said.

In tears in the witness box, she told the court how October 2007 had been a happy time for her because she was pregnant following an earlier miscarriage and her tests had returned that day saying her baby "was perfect". But she said the allegations "took all that away from me", and added, "I was very scared I would lose my baby.