A TEACHER accused of sexually abusing a teenage pupil has walked free from court after all the charges against him were dropped.

Colin Povey, 41, a languages teacher at Haslingden High School, was found not guilty of three counts on indecent assault and three further indecency charges on the trial judge's direction.

Today he said: "Thank God the nightmare is over."

The move came after the Crown Prosecution Service reviewed the evidence against Mr Povey and decided not to proceed with the case. The decision followed a day and a half of evidence given by the main prosecution witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Mr Povey, of Narcissus Avenue, Helmshore, who is married with two young children, had denied all the allegations which related to a teenage pupil at the school between June 1993 and April 1994.

The decision has renewed concern over Lancashire Police's Operation Nevada and similar operations throughout the country where officers have been accused of "trawling" for alleged victims of sex abuse.

Education bosses with Lancashire County Council will now be meeting with Mr Povey, a languages teacher at Haslingden High School, to discuss his future.

The suspended head of French added: "It's been 15 months of hell. People always talk about supporting the victim, but I was the victim.

"At last, justice has been done."

But his wife Celia said: "I still feel numb and angry that this could happen."

Mr Povey said he felt it was a travesty that the case had ever been brought to court. "It was a fabrication throughout," he added.

"It was so outrageous. The stress has been appalling, not just for me but for my wife and family."

The couple have two children aged four and five.

Now, Mr Povey said, he felt a sense of euphoria. "I have my life back in the family I love."

The couple are now planning to throw a large party to say thank you to the neighbours and friends who continued to support them throughout their ordeal.

A spokesman for the council said: "We will now have the opportunity to meet with Mr Povey and his representative to discuss the implications of the case in relation to his employment."

The trial at Preston Crown Court was told that the alleged abuse started after Povey invited the boy back to his house for extra French lessons.

But Mark George, defending, said the allegations were a tissue of lies, made up after the boy became depressed and jealous of Mr Povey's life when the teacher got married and then had children.

The accuser, said Mr George, was in an acute state of depression when the allegations were made -- depression linked to the death of the boy's father when he was just seven.

Mr George said: "You lied from start to finish."

Mr Povey was arrested by police in August 2000 as part of Operation Nevada, set up to look at allegations of institutional abuse in schools and care homes stretching back for 30 years.

But the collapse of the case has reinforced concerns about police investigations where officers have been accused of "trawling" for witnesses.

Officers in similar operations have been accused of mentioning the possibility of compensation from the Criminal Injuries Board to "victims" and also by being too willing to believe claims of abuse.

Currently 32 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales are conducting similar enquiries.

Later this month the House of Commons Select Committee on Home Affairs is expected to announce a review of such operations and the Association of Police Officers (ACPO) will release a manual designed as guidance for officers.

Head of Operation Nevada Det Insp Steve Marston led the separate inquiry at Stonyhurst College where nine former priests and teachers were arrested in connection with allegations of sexual abuse at the Jesuit school stretching back 30 years -- but the majority of cases collapsed in court.

Last month County Council chiefs raised fears they could be forced to pay up to £2million in compensation claims to victims of alleged sex abuse following the police probe.