Nathan Watts, 29, said he bought the sex toy because of its 'Japanese features' and told the jury he was surprised at how small it was. Pictured: Watts outside Reading Crown Court

A warehouse manager who bought a £1,000 sex doll from China was cleared in court after accusations the doll he purchased resembled a child.

Nathan Watts, 29, said he bought the sex toy because of its 'Japanese features' and told the jury he was surprised at how small it was.

He wiped a tear from behind his glasses today as the jury unanimously found him innocent today.

Despite a leading investigator on the case saying their was no evidence that Watts was sexually interested in children, the CPS argued Watts must have checked what he was buying due to the large amount of money he spent on the doll.

A CPS spokesperson said: 'A charge is authorised by the CPS if a prosecutor is satisfied that both stages of the Full Code test are met. The CPS does not decide whether or not a person is guilty of the offence. That is a matter for a jury and we respect their decision in this case.'

During his interrogation, Watts said he had ordered the doll late one night because he was 'lonely' and hoped that 'in the long run it would make me happier'.

Watts was charged after border force intercepted his package at East Midlands Airport last year.

Officials became suspicious after realising the doll was just 4ft tall, complete with pink lingerie and breasts, and called police.

The defendant was questioned over the package, although Watts denied knowing the doll was so short, adding he thought he ordered a life sized doll with Japanese features.

Investigating officer Nigel Woodall told Reading Crown Court that his investigation found no evidence that Watts, who is 5ft 9ins, was interested in children.

Watts told the court he found the doll after searching 'sex doll' on Google during a late night trawl on April 3, 2017.

He clicked on the first link and paid £945.20, and claims to have seen no information about the dimensions of the doll.

Michael Attenborough, prosecuting, told the jury: 'The Crown says that it was, in almost all respects, a child in terms of the height, parts and facial features. The only exception to that was that it had fully formed breasts.

'The importation of an obscene or indecent article is prohibited by law. The doll was seized by the Border Force officers and the defendant was asked to attend a voluntary interview which he did.

'He was asked a series of questions and on that occasion, his response was to say 'no comment.''

Nathan Watts denies intentionally buying the 4ft sex doll, claiming he thought it would be bigger

The prosecutions said Watts attended a secondary voluntary interview on December 4, 2017 where he then admitted to ordering the sex doll - but said he did not realise it was so short.

Mr Attenborough added: 'The defendant spent the best part of £1,000 on it. It is inconceivable that the defendant spent that amount of money without knowing what he was going to get.'

Watts, who the court heard was a big fan of Japanese culture including manga which are comics, said: 'I was lonely, I work a lot and don't get out much.

'I expected it to look like an adult sex doll with Japanese features, I thought the eyes would be more Japanese than they are.'

When asked if the doll he saw online was what he bought, Watts replied: 'It is smaller than I thought it would be.'

Watts added the pictures of the doll on the website showed it set against a background and there were 'no other objects to compare its height with'.

He added he chose that particular doll because 'it was on sale and reasonably cheap compared with others'.

Ayelen Tunon, defending, asked her client: 'If you thought it would be childlike, would you have bought it?'

Watts replied: 'Absolutely not, I have no interest in children. I thought in the long run it would make me happier.'

Tunon added: 'Mr Watts has told you by his own admission that he is a bit of a loner.

'This is something that for him is embarrassing, it is not something that he would want to spend a lot of time on.

'What evidence do you have in this case that Mr Watts is interested in children? Absolutely nothing and that is what the officer in this case said.

'If he does not have any interest in children, why would he suddenly one night buy a child sex doll?

'There is not a single suggestion on that website that it sells child like sex dolls, he told you he saw them and it was the cheapest on the site.

'He is not responsible for what he is being accused of.'

Watts, from Reading, was cleared of one charge of attempted fraudulent evasion of a prohibition.