Scott Vale, pictured, was cleared of indecent exposure after being accused of 'flashing' a female Jehovah's Witness at his flat in Essex

A father-of-two accused of exposing himself while opening a door to a female Jehovah's Witness wearing an 'open Superman dressing gown' has been cleared.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard Scott Vale was accused of 'revealing a manly shape' to the woman on his doorstep in Waltham Abbey, Essex.

The woman, aged in her 40s, claimed Mr Vale called her to his door to 'talk about Bible meetings' but instead opened his robe.

The 24-year-old denied the charges and a jury of eight women and four men decided in his favour after deliberating for an hour.

The court was told that two Jehovah Witnesses were door-knocking that morning at about 11am and one returned when Mr Vale called back down that he wanted more information. One of them stayed on the landing below.

The woman told the jury that as she was writing down directions for a map on how to get to the Bible study group for Waltham Cross Kingdom Hall she could hear Mr Vale 'shuffling with his robe.'

She continued: 'I didn't make too much of it until I looked into his eyes and I understood his robe had opened up.

'He was absolutely bare, his whole flesh was showing. I just wanted to look into his eyes but he was standing quite strong in front of me, inviting me to look somewhere else but I wasn't going to look anywhere else but his eyes. He probably didn't think I was as old as I am.'

She said that even though she was looking at his face she could make out 'a manly shape'.

The woman added that she felt Mr Vale had called her back to talk further as 'just a play.'

'He wanted to trap me into something more sinister. Afterwards I felt disgusted,' she said.

She said that afterwards she and her fellow Jehovah Witness carried on with their work, knocking on doors but she said: 'I wasn't feeling comfortable with myself. I was numbed out.'

She reported the incident to police later that afternoon complaining that Mr Vale had held his erect penis in his hand.

That description was not put to the witness by the prosecutor during her evidence before the jury.

The second, younger, Jehovah Witness believer told the court that after the alleged incident her friend said to her: 'He's a pervert. He was showing himself.'

In his evidence, Mr Vale, a family man and father of two, said the knock woke him up. The two women didn't say they were Jehovah Witnesses and talked about prayer.

He said he assumed they were Christian and he was always open to discussion.

After they left he called them back to ask about Bible meetings.

Mr Vale denied the female Jehovah's Witness' accusation and the jury at Chelmsford Crown Court, pictured, deliberated for an hour before clearing him of indecent exposure

The woman, aged in her 40s, claimed Mr Vale 'revealed a manly shape' from his dressing gown after calling her back to his flat in Harveyfields, Waltham Abbey, pictured

He said: 'The Asian woman came back up and was standing on the step down from the top. She stepped up a stair and we were face to face.'

He said she then got flustered looking in her bag for a leaflet with the address. He said he might have been adjusting his dressing gown but it had not come undone.

He denied he exposed his penis or that he was aware it might have 'fallen out'.

He said it could have opened 'accidentally' but denied deciding to give them 'a nasty surprise' because they had woken him up and wasted his time.