A Carrickfergus teenager disowned by her family after claiming her stepfather had, sexually abused and raped her, wept uncontrollably as he was cleared by a jury in Belfast yesterday.
As each of the eight unanimous "not guilty" verdicts were announced by the Crown Court jury, they were explained to the 17-year-old's 67-year-old step- father who is hard of hearing.
The pensioner, who can't be named to protect his stepdaughter's identity, had denied indecently assaulting her from August, 1983, when she was four, and raping her from January, 1991, to July, 1994.
