A man accused of raping and molesting a young girl has been cleared by a jury after a Supreme Court trial.

The 58-year-old Devonshire man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was found not guilty of all four charges against him by a unanimous decision.

The verdict sparked claps from the defendant’s supporters as Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons told him he was free to go.

During the trial, the teenager, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said the man had touched her sexually in the bathroom of the family home while she was still in primary school.

She recalled further incidents that took place while she was in middle school

In one, she said he sexually touched her in his office. In another, she said he forcibly had sex with her in her bedroom.

In a fourth incident, she said the defendant had forced himself on her at a “makeshift gym” at his workplace while she was enrolled in senior school.

She said she only told her mother about what happened more than a year after the final incident because she did not think anyone would believe her.

The defendant maintained his innocence throughout the trial.

Marc Daniels, who represented him, suggested that the complainants mother had approached all of her children about the defendant before the complainant said she had been interfered with.

The jury deliberated for more than four hours before delivering its verdict.

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