A 36-year-old man was acquitted by a court today of having sexually abused his step brother when he was a child.

The alleged victim, who testified when he was 20 years old, said that the accused used to call him to his room and perform sexual acts. The abuse continued for more than four years, sometimes twice a week.

The accused denied all the claims and said they were an invention, made while his mother and the alleged victim’s father were undergoing separation proceedings.

The court said the evidence was insufficient to support a conviction. It also noted that the alleged abuse had been claimed several years after it happened.