Denied sexual assault: Alex Di Francesco, 36, who is pictured leaving Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court today, was said to have forced himself on the 24-year-old woman

A barrister who allowed a young woman he chatted up in a wine bar to don his wig and gown at his chambers was today cleared of sexually assaulting her.

Alex Di Francesco, 36, of Flamstead, Hertfordshire, was said to have forced himself on the 24-year-old woman after meeting her in Daly’s Wine Bar on The Strand in Central London.

Di Francesco, who was once voted ‘13th sexiest barrister in London’ by law blog LegalCheek, allegedly told her to ‘grow up’ and demanded to know why she wouldn’t have a one-night stand with him when she tried to push him off her.

But he was left in tears this afternoon after being found not guilty of one count of sexual assault at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court in North London.

Deputy District Judge Mr Nicholas Wattan said: ‘I'm concerned her recall of what happened is impaired by the amount of alcohol she had that evening.'

‘I can't be sure the events unfolded in the way she described,’ added the judge, saying Di Francesco's 'credible' account 'stood up well to cross examination'.

Earlier, the court was told how the pair had flirted at the wine bar on January 30 this year when the woman refused to believe he was a barrister until he went online to show her his profile at 25 Bedford Row Chambers in Holborn.

Di Francesco allegedly met the woman in Daly’s Wine Bar on The Strand in Central London

When the bar shut, he took the young woman, who worked in management at a law firm and also had a law degree, to his chambers to prove he was who he said he was.

Defence barrister Di Francesco, who has represented defendants against sexual assault charges, then tried to force the woman to have sex with him, it was claimed.

Dilichi Onuzo, prosecuting, said: ‘They chatted for an hour until closing time. He told her he was a barrister, she did not believe him so went on Google to check. They had a conversation about whether he had a wig and gown.’

The woman said it was the third bar she and a female friend had been to that night and she had shared champagne and wine and consumed up to three double vodkas.

Di Francesco was once voted ‘13th sexiest barrister in London’ by law blog LegalCheek

She was reassured by Di Francesco’s profession, adding: ‘There was then a level of trust. I work at a law firm and there’s an interest, something in common.’

The complainant showed him a picture of her in a bikini on her phone, saying: ‘That’s when he said I had a really nice bum. It was a flirty comment.

'His whole demeanour was quite arrogant, he knew we were taken aback by what he did for a living and played on that.’

Di Francesco allegedly told the women he lived with his father.

Miss Onuzo added: ‘She went to his chambers at 25 Bedford Row and he took her to his office to show her his wig and gown. She tried on the wig and gown and he took her upstairs to an office, where there was a large conference table.

'He tried to kiss her, she moved away. She felt sleepy and lay down on the floor. He laid down and pulled down her tights and panties and reached for her.

'She pushed him away, pulled up her tights and pants and he then grabbed her bum really, really hard.

The court heard how the pair had flirted when the woman refused to believe he was a barrister until he went online to show her his profile at 25 Bedford Row Chambers (pictured) in Holborn

‘Mr Di Francesco asked her “Aren’t we going to have sex?” and she found him aggressive and confrontational.

‘She started crying and said she was having an anxiety attack, which he seemed to find funny and started laughing. She threw up and he was standing behind her.’

Di Francesco denied sexual assault, insisting that all the touching was consensual and that the complainant had kissed him back

During the alleged assault the complainant said the barrister told her to ‘grow up’ and questioned why she wouldn’t want a one-night stand.

The woman eventually left by calling an Uber taxi and reported the incident to her friend. She told the court: ‘Because of his profession and the level of trust I did not see any danger signs.’

But in the chambers building things changed, the court heard. The woman said: ‘I was starting to feel more on edge. It was just two of us in a locked building. He’s significantly bigger than me. I’m very petite and I was drunk.’

Di Francesco went in for a kiss, she said, adding: ‘I pulled away because I was feeling more and more uncomfortable. I could feel the room spinning, I felt I couldn’t stand for any longer. He lay down, there was a brief exchange.

'He pulled down my tights and put his hand towards (me). It happened in seconds and that’s when I pushed his hand away.

'He followed up with: “Aren’t we going to have sex?” The situation had completely turned from what I thought it was and I said: “No. We aren’t going to have sex”.

‘He was starting to get more aggressive in his tone of voice. I was alarmed and felt at my most vulnerable. I did not know it was not going to escalate, we were in a locked building and I didn’t know how I could get away.

‘He reached around and grabbed my bum and repeated the earlier comment and said: “You’ve got a really nice bum” and squeezed it hard. He said I was pathetic for being a 24-year-old girl and not having a one-night stand.’

The woman did not tell police about the alleged assault until the next Monday. She said: 'I blamed myself for the fact I hadn't looked after myself and I had got drunk.

'It wasn't until I got more comfortable and I told my mum and my housemates and they said "no, what he did is wrong and alcohol didn't have anything to do with it". It's taken a very long time to even consider being close to someone again.'

Aren’t we going to have sex? What Alex Di Francesco allegedly asked the 24-year-old woman

Di Francesco was arrested and questioned by police. ‘He said she was lying about pulling away from kissing and she had kissed him back,’ explained the prosecutor.

Jennie Dempster, defending, asked why she had chosen to go back to his chambers in the middle of the night.

She said: 'Have you ever been back to someone's offices in the early hours of the morning previously?

'If you were interested in his job did you not think "that's a plan for next week? We can do it one evening?". If you were tired and a bit drunk, why didn't you say "we can do it find other night"?'

Giving evidence, Di Francesco said the woman teased him, saying he couldn't be a lawyer because he had gone to Birmingham University. He said she also showed him pictures of her wearing a bikini.

The barrister said the woman refused to have sex but invited him back to her home in south London at least five times so they could 'spoon'.

He said she became angry when he refused to go with her, adding: 'I said “I can't, I live in Harpenden”. She said "you won't go home because I won't have sex with you" - she said it in a way that got under my skin.

'I said "that's not true, but to be perfectly frank, if that's not what we're going to do what's the point?" It might not have been the most sensitive thing to say.

'I'm in chambers lying on the floor, she wasn't aggressive - she was just accusatory, and it wasn't nice anymore and I thought "I've got to leave".'

He said I was pathetic for being a 24-year-old girl and not having a one-night stand Alleged sexual assault victim

He admitted sliding his hand from her tights to her bottom, but said he pulled away as soon as she told him no.

Di Francesco said he initially thought she was claiming she felt nauseous as a ploy to keep him lying on the floor with her.

Asked what his intentions with the woman were, the barrister replied: 'My intentions were to spend more time with her, to see chambers, to talk and to do the things we ultimately did do.

'It was not my intention to have sex with her, I didn't know whether we would have sex, I didn't know how the night would develop but we didn't go to chambers to have sex.'

He insisted she did not pull away from his kisses, saying: 'There was no sharp end to the kiss, there was nothing that had made me think that I had overstepped the mark or I had done something that I shouldn't have.'

Di Francesco denied sexual assault, insisting all the touching was consensual and that the woman had kissed him back. He claimed the woman had asked her to lie on the floor with him and 'be the big spoon'.

Di Francesco was called to the bar in 2008 and was a Lamb Building Chambers tenant until May 2015. He has been a Middle Temple Hall Inn member since 2006.