A MAN accused of rape and forcing a York mother to have sex with strangers has been cleared of all sexual offences charges.

A jury at York Crown Court took less than an hour to find Paul Dearlove, of Challoners Crescent, Dringhouses, not guilty of rape and two counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activities without consent. He was found guilty of a fourth charge, of actual bodily harm.

The complainant, a woman from York who cannot be named for legal reasons, told North Yorkshire Police that Dearlove had threatened to tell social services she was a prostitute if she did not have sex with men behind a boathouse in an area of the city.

She said he threatened to do this to prevent her children, who had recently been taken into care by the authority, being returned to her.

Dearlove, 43, denied this, and told the court that the trips to the riverside to have sex with men were the woman’s idea.

Judge Stephen Ashurst told the jury that Dearlove had always maintained his relationship with the woman was “up and down”, but always denied the charges against him, and denied threatening to harm her if she did not comply.

Dearlove was also accused of one count of actual bodily harm to the complainant after she suffered a black eye in August last year, and the jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty yesterday.

He was remanded in custody and will appear before York Crown Court again tomorrow, for sentencing.