A MAN accused of a string of historic child sex offences has been cleared of all counts.

Rachid El-Barhdadi, of Bagley Close, Kennington had always denied the six counts alleging indecent and sexual assault against one child – who is now a woman, and who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Prosecutors at his trial which began at Oxford Crown Court last week claimed that the 53-year old had abused the child, performing sex acts on her numerous times in the early 2000s.

Mr El-Barhdadi took to the witness box to profess his innocence during proceedings.

He told the court he had never once entered the room where the alleged sex attack had taken place and that he had spent a lot of time out of the country visiting his family in Morocco during much of the alleged period of abuse.

Asked how the allegations coming to light had made him feel he said: “It’s not an allegation you could ever want to hear, that is a serious matter.

“I felt bad, very upset.”

As his trial came to an end yesterday jurors took just three hours and four minutes to acquit him by a unanimous verdict on all six counts.

Judge Maria Lamb, who presided over the trial, thanked the jury panel for their dedication to the case after Mr El-Barhdadi left the dock.