AN Australian man cleared of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in Darwen has told of his 12 months of hell.

Craig Morton, 40, who came to Lancashire from Sydney in 2004, was yesterday found not guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and sexual assault.

He had stood accused of choking the teenager until she was unconscious before dragging her into bushes close to Sainsburys in Redearth Road, Darwen.

Detectives investigating the 'serious sexual assault' found a pair of glasses in the bushes and obtained a DNA profile from them which matched Mr Morton.

Two months later, on September 22, he was arrested and then charged with the offences.

During interviews and the six day trial, Mr Morton, of Newlyn Place, Preston, had maintained his innocence.

He said he had been out drinking in Darwen with a friend and watching Amir Khan boxing.

He claimed he was making his way back to his friend's house in Cyprus Street, Darwen, and was sick in some bushes, adding he must have lost his glasses at that point.

Following the jury's verdict, Mr Morton – who has no previous convictions - said he had endured a 'hellish' 12 months since his arrest.

Speaking outside Preston Sessions House court, he said: “I do not bear any grudges to the system or to the victim. The trial was very fair.

“I definitely believe something happened to her.

"The evidence showed what had happened on that night. It's just the coincidence of my situation and set of circumstances. I'm just a cork in the ocean.

“It's not for me to discuss someone else's life, but I believe there is someone else out there who is responsible.”

During the trial, the court heard the girl, from Darwen, was seen staggering out of the undergrowth caked in mud and blood, with her trousers undone.

She immediately told passers-by she had been the victim of a sexual offence at 1.45am on July 19 last year.

The girl was missing an earring and an acrylic fingernail – both later found at the scene.

After the case Detective Inspector Pete Broome said officers were disappointed with the verdict, but respected the jury's decision. He said: "The facts of the case will be reviewed and any new evidence will be followed up."