A 33-year old man has been cleared by a jury in Belfast of sexually assaulting his young son.
Following a three-day trial at Belfast Crown Court, the jury of seven women and five men took less than two hours to return unanimous not guilty verdicts on two charges of sexual assault.
He was also acquitted of an additional charge of assaulting his son by throwing a football in his face.
The man - who cannot be named to protect the identify of his son - had denied accusations that he sexually touched his son on two occasions.
The boy said the incidents occurred when he stayed overnight in his father’s north Belfast home on dates between February 2015 and December 2017, when he was aged between seven and nine.
The schoolboy, who is now aged 13, told both the police and jury that one incident took place on his father’s sofa, with the second in his father’s bedroom.
The youngster claimed both incidents occurred after his father had been drinking, and that after one incident his father ‘giggled like the Joker’.
When he gave evidence at the trial, the accused confirmed that after separating from the boy’s mother, he had regular contact with his son which included overnight stays.
Denying that anything sexual had occurred, the accused said that before the allegations he had a “brilliant” relationship with his son, and could not understand why his son had made the accusations against him.
He was also asked about incidents of violence over the same time period and denied throwing a football in his son’s face.
Whilst he denied this charge, he told the jury he had struck his son on the jaw after losing his temper in a separate incident.
He admitted this to police and pleaded guilty to common assault prior to the trial starting - but denied both throwing a football at his son, and sexually abusing him on two occasions.
The jury returned not guilty verdicts on the two charges of sexual assault and one charge of common assault concerning the football.
Judge Donna McColgan enquired about the other assault charge the man admitted pre-trial.
Defence barrister Stephen Toal said his client admitted losing his temper and striking his son in the face, adding “he bitterly regrets it.”
Judge McColgan imposed a £1,000 fine for the assault.