A barber shop owner accused of raping teenage girls and forcing them to have sex with his dog has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Anthony Foster, 35, of St James's Park, West Croydon, had been accused of grooming and sexually abusing three vulnerable girls, aged between 16 and 18, after befriending them during parties at his three shops.

But a jury at Croydon Crown Court this afternoon found him not guilty of all 14 charges, including three of rape, two of assault by penetration, three of causing to engage in sexual activity without consent, two of sexual assault, inciting prostitution and attempted assault by penetration. 

Last week, during a two-week trial, Mr Foster told the court the girls had fabricated the allegations to earn compensation. 

Two of them had claimed he forced them to have sex with his French mastiff and pressured them to have sex with other men for money, while one alleged he sexually assaulted her with a beer bottle. 

But Mr Foster's defence barrister, Ian Henderson, questioned why the girls had continued to socialise with him after the alleged abuse had taken place. 

The jury found him innocent after just under a day of deliberations. 

 

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