A man walked free from court today after being cleared of raping a drunk teenage girl.

The jury took less than five hours to clear Faris Jalal of three charges of rape after a five-day trial at Oxford Crown Court.

Mr Jalal, of Southfield Park, East Oxford, shouted 'thank you' to the jury as he was freed from the dock.

Earlier in the trial, the 40-year-old told the court he had met the 16-year-old in Oxford city centre in March 2007 and had consensual sex with her in the back of his car in Cheney Lane, Headington.

He said he had first met the teenager, who cannot be named, about a month earlier in the former Zodiac nightclub in Cowley Road. He told the jury: "She was in the front seat and we started talking, kissing and chatting.

"She did have a drink, she wasn't upset and she knew what she was doing."

The court had heard the teenager had previously reported being raped by another man, but had withdrawn her complaint to police a few months later, saying the relationship had been consensual.

Giving evidence Mr Jalal said: "As far as I was concerned, she led me on. She did it for a bit of attention so she could tell her friends."

Speaking after the case, Mr Jalal said the experience had made him a stronger person, but he did not wish to comment further.