Man cleared of rape but still devastated

A HODDESDON worker cleared of raping a female colleague has been reduced to a "shell of a man", his defence solicitor said Andrew Harknett, 41, had spent the past 14 months falsely accused of committing a sex attack on a women he had been teaching to use a lifting truck at a Sainsbury's depot in Pindar Road.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, made the allegation after discovering her husband had listened to her involved in sexual activity for 19 minutes when he received a call on his mobile from her phone.

She alleged that, following a training session given by Mr Harknett on January 5 last year, she had gone into an upstairs office where he raped her. She phoned her husband because she feared she was going to be assaulted.

The woman claimed her neck and breasts were bitten and she was forced to perform a sex act, although the court was told no cries of "help" or "rape" were heard on the phone.

But at St Albans Crown Court, all charges against Mr Harknett, from Harlow in Essex, were thrown out after the court heard how the alleged victim had "actively pursued" him.

Although Sainsbury's had launched an investigation and exonerated Mr Harknett of any involvement, Herts police opened an investigation and the Crown Prosecution Service decided to charge him with raping and sexually assaulting the woman on January 5 last year.

But in court, Judge Seddon Cripps agreed with the defence team that there has been an "abuse of process" in bringing Mr Harknett to trial.

The judge told Mr Harknett: "I appreciate what you have been through in this last year.

"On what I have seen and read, I have no doubt you were innocent in every sense of the word. You leave without a stain on your character - and I mean that."

Defence barrister Jason Reed told the judge that Mr Harknett had suffered considerably as a result of the accusations. Arguing the case was an "abuse of process", Mr Reed said the woman had actively pursued Mr Harknett - making 97 calls from her mobile phone to Mr Harknett between October and the time of the alleged rape.