A school vice principal, who a judge said was "groomed" by the girl he abused, today failed in a Court of Appeal bid to clear his name.

Stuart Kerner, 45, was found guilty in December 2014 of having an affair with a teenage girl.

Kerner, of Russett Close, Aylesford, had been accused of having sex with the teen on a yoga mat.

The former Bexleyheath Academy teacher denied the allegations and last month took his case to the Court of Appeal in London in a bid to overturn the convictions.

His lawyers claimed guilty verdicts on two counts of sexual activity with a child while in a position of trust were "inconsistent" with not guilty decisions on others.

But after taking a month to consider the case, the lord chief justice Lord Thomas returned to court today and dismissed the appeal.

Lord Thomas, sitting with Lady Justice Hallett and Lord Justice Treacy, said the verdicts could justifiably "stand together".

Crucially, there had been more evidence on the counts of which he was convicted than on the others, he said.

The court heard the girl had become attracted to Kerner.

But following his conviction at Inner London Crown Court, trial judge Joanne Greenberg QC said it was Kerner who was "groomed".

He had given in to the "temptation", she told him as she handed him a suspended sentence.

Rejecting his conviction appeal, Lord Thomas said the offences of which Kerner was acquitted had depended entirely on the girl’s word.

But those of which he was convicted had additional evidence.

Lord Thomas said: "We conclude that the jury’s verdicts represent close attention to the judge’s direction and that they were only prepared to find allegations against him proved where there was supporting evidence."

The appeal was dismissed.