An award-winning teacher has been cleared of sexual abuse after an employment tribunal found that a 'fantasist' pupil invented tales of sex session dressed as a policewoman - but his career has been left in tatters.

Maths teacher Alex Cufflin, 43, won the Guardian Secondary Teacher of the Year award in 2008. He now runs a furnishings shop in Loughborough after being sacked over claims he groped a girl, 17, dressed as a policewoman in thigh-high stockings.

In April 2016 Cufflin was cleared at Leicester Crown Court of any criminal charges. But he had already been dismissed from his job at Rawlins Academy in Loughborough after an 'internal enquiry'.

Today a misconduct tribunal cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Maths teacher Alex Cufflin, right, has been cleared of sexual abuse by an employment tribunal

The popular teacher played guitar in class and won a prominent teaching award in 2008

A teacher misconduct panel today said the 'troubled young woman' wrote x-rated diary entries which mixed fact with fantasy.

She claimed that between 2003 and 2007 Cufflin kissed her in class, slid his hands down her pants and took a CD containing modelling shots of the pupil. He was said to have kissed her in a back office with the lights off and squeezed her bottom.

Cufflin broke down as he was exonerated by a teacher misconduct panel today. Sitting in Coventry, the panel said Cufflin should have reported the matter earlier when he was kissed by the pupil as she forced herself on him.

He also should not have hugged the pupil when he found her crying following the death of a relative.

But panel chair Kathy Thomson said that the errors were not serious and that no action would be taken against him.

Ms Thomson said claims that he removed the pupil's bra and touched her breasts, made in diary entries, were unreliable.

She said: 'The witness admitted writing some of the diary entries while under the influence of alcohol.'

She described how the 'inconsistent' entries meant that 'fantasy and reality' could be not be reliably separated.

The panel said Cufflin should have known better than to hug the pupil, given that he knew she had a crush on him, and said he should have reported it to seniors.

They found his father receive a card containing the girl's mobile number but that he could not be blamed for this.

Ms Thomson said Cufflin had 'not fallen so significantly below the required standards to warrant punishment' even though he should not have hugged her when she was bereaved.

She said: 'Pupil A was a fantasist regarding their relationship and the panel was satisfied that the diary entries were on the balance of probabilities fantasy.'

Rawlins Academy head Callum Orr said: 'Mr Cufflin was suspended from his teaching position in December 2013 during a police investigation relating to a period between 2004 and 2008.

'Subsequently, following an internal enquiry and disciplinary hearing, he was dismissed from Rawlins Academy in July 2015.'

Rawlins won the best secondary school teacher award after being nominated by his pupils - who described him as a 'kick-ass' teacher.

Accepting the award in 2008, Cufflin said: 'As a teacher I try and be as enthusiastic as possible, to motivate the children and give them belief in themselves.'