An 83-YEAR-OLD man who told a jury his “conscience was clear” has been cleared of abusing children.

The jury at Oxford Crown Court acquitted Alfred Cooper – who was supported by more than a dozen friends and family – of the 18 child sex charges yesterday.

Mr Cooper, from Beechcroft in Dorchester, had been accused of 15 counts of indecent assault and three of indecency with a child which were alleged to have taken place in the 1980s.

Three claimants had alleged the postman had sexually assaulted them in Dorchester, Berinsfield and Stadhampton as he went about his rounds.

Mr Cooper strenuously denied claims made by witnesses who wept in the dock as they gave evidence earlier in the week.

One woman, who cannot be named, was asked by Peter Du Feu, defending: “Are you simply mis-remembering a bit of horseplay and tickling?” She replied: “No. It was not horseplay or tickling.”

Jurors later heard from a second woman, who claimed Cooper kissed her on the lips when she was 10.

Mr Cooper had strenuously denied to the jury that he had abused anyone.

Summing up the case on Thursday Judge James Wadsworth said: “He said ‘I’ve never done anything with these girls – my conscience is clear’. He said in relation to the first witness ‘no, no, never.’”

The judge told jurors that Mr Cooper was a man of good character and added: “We heard this morning three statements read to us about that fact.

“First we heard from Mr Parker the local GP. He said he’d known the defendant for a long time and saw him occasionally as a patient and was aware of the splendid work he and his wife were doing fostering and adopting children. He called him an asset to the community.”

Yesterday the jury of six men and six women cleared his name on all counts after deliberating for six hours and 42 minutes.

Dressed smartly in a navy blue blazer and light-blue shirt, the pensioner was overcome when the foreman of the jury read out the verdicts. Red faced, he stood to tell the jury: “Thank you very, very much.”

Outside court, a friend told the Oxford Mail: “Justice has been done.”

Mr Cooper added: “I’m very very happy.”