a 14-year-old girl and infecting her with a sexual disease. He also set aside the man's nine-month prison sentence for the two charges.

The 20-year-old man won his appeal last week against conviction and sentence.

His laywer, Ms Victoria Pearman, told the Supreme Court she felt the prosecutor's witnesses had not corroborated the girl's testimony.

She said the victim's mother -- who took the stand in the original trial -- gave evidence about a young man who telephoned her daughter using his nickname.

But the telephone call had nothing to do with sexual intercourse, she added.

Ms Pearman also said the doctor who testified said the girl had contracted gonorrhoea but did not link the test result to the alleged intercourse with the man.

Chief Justice the Hon. Mr. Justice Ward said corroboration of the prosecuting evidence was necessary for a conviction, but this had not been done.

He said a retrial was necessary because of the nature of the crime involving a minor and the transmission of a communicable disease.

The man, who has denied both offences, had his bail renewed until the retrial.