CRITICAL flaws in the police investigation, com­bined with key admis­sions made under cross-examination by a woman who claimed she was sexually abused by her stepfather in 2021 when she was a minor, led to the collapse of the case at the High Court on Monday.

It took a nine-member jury just 40 minutes of deliberations to return two not guilty verdicts against the 47-year-old mechanic from Arima, who had maintained his innocence since being arrested in April 2022.

The man, whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the woman, faced two char­ges under the Children Act, offences that were said to have taken place on December 21 and 22, 2021. He was charged in April 2022 and pleaded not guilty.