A man was cleared of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl after a magistrate heard that her mother had filed similar reports about other men with whom she’d had problems.

The man, 48, who is not being named to protect the identity of the teenager, had a sexual relationship with the mother to whom he used to give money.

However, when the cash ran out, the woman threatened she would create problems for him, the court heard.

The woman denied ever having a sexual relationship with the accused and said she had become suspicious of what was going on when she noticed her daughter had money even though she did not work. What she did not know was that her lover had secretly filmed them having sex at his house.

Her daughter testified that the accused gave her expensive gifts and they would end up having consensual sex.

The woman’s sister contradicted the testimony given by both the woman and the girl, saying that her sister did in fact have a relationship with the man and that the girl had confided in her that the story was all made up.

Her niece told her that her mother had threatened to kick her out of the house if she did not file a police report against the man.

Magistrate Audrey Demicoli noted that the woman had filed reports against other men claiming that her children had been sexually abused.

The magistrate said she had serious doubts about the veracity of the claims and the credibility of the woman and her daughter when considering the manner in which they testified about what had supposedly happened.

Lawyers Andy Ellul and Vince Micallef appeared for the man.