Farrant is cleared of sex offences
A Haverhill man has been cleared of allegations that he committed sex offences against a teenage girl.
Anthony Farrant, 51, who had denied the charges, was today (Friday) found not guilty at Ipswich Crown Court.
It took the jury of seven women and five men more than five hours to reach their verdicts in relation to 12 charges.
After the verdicts were announced, Mr Recorder Karim Khalil told Farrant, of Eastern Avenue, Haverhill, that he was free to leave the court.
During a two week trial, Farrant denied allegations that he had raped and sexually abused the girl.
The court heard the girl make those allegations in a 90 minute recorded interview in which she claimed most had taken place at an address in the town.
Giving evidence, Farrant said that none of the incidents had ever taken place. He said he had a medical condition which precluded him from having sex until at least an hour after he had taken prescribed medication.
Farrant told the jury that when police arrived at his home in February last year to question him in connection with the girl’s allegations he had been shocked.
He said that he heard the claims against him with “utter disbelief” and said it had seemed surreal.
The court heard that the girl who made the allegations suffered from emotional problems and had developed anorexia and had self harmed.
Farrant was found not guilty of six charges of rape, three of oral rape, two of assault by penetration and one of sexual assault.
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Weather for Haverhill
Saturday 25 May 2013
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Temperature: 6 C to 14 C
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