A TEACHER accused of sexually abusing a pupil at an Oxford school has been cleared of all charges.

Simon Barnes, of Burton-upon-Stather, Scunthorpe, had always denied the five counts of indecent assault and two counts of indecency with a child throughout his trial at Oxford Crown Court.

The charges were in connection with alleged abuse on one girl carried out at Oxford's Cheney School in the 1980s.

As his trial came to an end yesterday the 59-year old stared straight ahead as the jury of six men and six women found him not guilty by a unanimous verdict on all seven counts.

During the trial which began on Monday of last week Mr Barnes had taken to the witness box to profess his innocence.

He told jurors: "She was enthusiastic, she was friendly, she was bubbly, she was keen, and she seemed to want attention.

"She didn't seem to have a large number of friends, she was a little bit isolated.

"I tried to use humour and was always open and friendly, I tried to talk to students and I tried to get to know them because teaching isn't just about teaching its about relationships."

Mr Barnes said that on occasion he would give her hugs and 'a peck on the cheek' but only to comfort and support her, and later admitted to police under interview that he had 'acted inappropriately.'

He added that the culture of teaching and interacting with pupils was different in the 1980s than it was now now and that it was a more 'relaxed' atmosphere with less safeguarding training for staff.

Mr Barnes, who studied English and English Literature at Oxford University, taught at Cheney School in 1981 before leaving in the summer of 1988.