A father who was falsely accused of rape claims he has been left homeless and jobless because locals where he lives still believe he committed the crime.

Terry Brown had his name cleared in 2014 when Lisa-Jayne Samuels, a mother-of-four who had told police he drugged and raped her, admitted to fabricating her claims.

The 34-year-old from Basildon, Essex, hoped to return to normal life after being beaten up and seeing his pregnant partner miscarry in the midst of the ordeal.

Terry Brown (above with his pregnant partner Tracy Choularton) lost his home and claims he cannot find work as a plasterer after being falsely accused of rape in 2013

But having relied on local people to give him work as a plasterer beforehand, he claims they shied away from hiring him afterwards because they still consider him guilty of a crime.

Now Mr Brown, who has two children from previous relationships, and his 26-year-old girlfriend, Tracey Choularton, sleep rough in a tent after losing their home.

'Because I don't get work and can't get housed we are forced to live in a tent which is always getting destroyed,' he said.

'My name was cleared in court but I am still treated like I committed that terrible crime. I thought I could get my life back after the allegation but I can't.'

Lisa-Jayne Samuels (above) was jailed for 20 months for fabricating the claims

Mr Brown was arrested in 2013 on suspicion of raping Lisa-Jayne Samuels after allegedly spiking her drink during a night out.

He spent several months on bail before she admitted to inventing the claim to try to get attention from her mother.

Despite being cleared Mr Brown says he is regularly abused by local people and that even 'respectable looking gentlemen walking their dogs' have labelled him a rapist.

He can no longer find work because he is still associated with the crime, he said.

'When the police arrested me, I was with a big group of people who would know a lot of people.

'I was never charged but everyone knew it was me who was arrested because of that.

'Life was a lot better before the allegation, I had a future.

'Now I can’t go to the shops without someone calling me a rapist,' he said.

Before Samuels was jailed he was even stabbed and beaten by an angry mob convinced of his guilt.

Now he relies on food from supermarket skips to feed himself and his girlfriend who is pregnant.

She miscarried last year, blaming the stress of her partner's ordeal for the loss.

A spokesman for Basildon Council said it was working towards finding them a home in light of her condition.

'Homelessness organisation St Mungo’s have been assisting the couple to look for housing solutions.

'Following Basildon Council receiving notification today that they are expecting a child, the council will be looking into options to resolve their homelessness.'

Samuels, 30, was jailed last February for 20 months after being convicted of perverting the course of justice.

The mother-of-four had given police a false description of a man's appearance for an e-fit and selected Mr Brown out of an identity parade.

Her claims were disproved by CCTV footage which revealed she had not been in the place where she claimed the rape took place on the night in question.

During her trial Basildon Crown Court heard how she had a history of making false reports to police.