A man accused of historic sex offences has been found not guilty following a re-trial.

Keith Bloomfield, 65, appeared before Bournemouth Crown Court for a five day trial accused of offences dating back to the 1980s.

Mr Bloomfield faced six charges of indecent assault on a girl under the age of 16.

He formerly lived in Bridport and currently resides in Spain.

The offences were alleged to have taken place in west Dorset between September 26, 1985 and May 11, 1987.

During the trial, Mr Bloomfield said there was “no truth at all” to the allegations.

He had said he had “no specific recollection” of the complainant and that, when first told about the allegations, he “just broke down”. Mr Bloomfield said he and his family had been “devastated” by the accusations.

Janick Fielding, representing Mr Bloomfield, told jurors that the complainant had an “unhealthy attraction” with the defendant and that she “couldn’t stop lying” when giving evidence.

A previous trial for the same offences collapsed last year after a jury was unable to deliver a unanimous or majority verdict.

On Friday, October 21, after 12 hours of deliberation, the jurors returned unanimous not guilty verdicts for all six counts.