A MAN was found not guilty by a jury after being accused of sexually assaulting a schoolgirl when he was in his 30s.

Christopher Allan Hughes, aged 42, of Hillside, Abergavenny, was on trial at Newport Crown Court accused of 14 counts of sexual activity with a child.

He had denied all the charges and told the court he was innocent.

The jury of seven men and five women cleared him of all 14 charges after a five-day trial.

After they had returned their not guilty verdicts, the judge, Recorder Caroline Rees QC, told Mr Hughes, who was wearing a suit and tie, that he could leave the dock a free man.

He had been supported by members of his family throughout the trial.

The judge thanked the jury for their public service before she discharged them.

Mr Hughes’ barrister Sarah Waters put it to the complainant during the course of the trial that she had confused nightmares she had experienced with reality.

She had added: “I am suggesting to you that the things you have said about the defendant are untrue.”

The complainant had denied this.

Mr Hughes had been accused of offences which prosecutor Roger Griffiths had said happened over a three-year period during this decade.