He was arrested but has been completely exonerated in the High Court

Ms Hamilton falsely accused him of having sex with one of her pigs

Sharon Hamilton, 54, falsely accused her neighbour of having sex with one of her pigs

An actress who appeared in the hit show Doc Martin is facing a £230,000 court bill after 'maliciously' accusing her neighbor of having sex with one of her pigs.

Sharon Hamilton, 54, had been in a land dispute with former parish councillor Anton Barkhuysen, 73, in the hamlet of Tregolls in Stithians, Cornwall.

The pair argued for more than eight years over a fenced-off piece of land where mother-of-two Ms Hamilton kept her pigs.

And she has now been accused of using her acting skills to claim Mr Barkhuysen had sex with one of her animals after enticing it with doughnuts.

She contacted the police to say she saw the married pensioner having sex with a pig and he was subsequently arrested when eight officers raided his home.

But a High Court judge has now ruled she was not telling the truth and made a 'false' and 'entirely unfounded' accusation, reports Nick Parker at The Sun.

Mr Barkhuysen was interrogated about his sex life, had to undergo intimate examinations and was ridiculed in the small village following his arrest on January 1, 2013.

He has now been completely exonerated after he sued her for harassment, slander and false imprisonment in the High Court in London.

Mr Barkhuysen, a father-of-three was awarded £32,080 in damages by Mr Justice Warby and Ms Hamilton faces legal costs estimated at £200,000.

Justice Warby said: 'I heard evidence and argument at the trial of claims and counterclaims in this dispute between two neighbours, Anton Barkhuysen and Sharon Hamilton.

'Mrs Hamilton made a false, entirely unfounded, and malicious accusation.'

In the judgement, Justice Warby wrote: 'The Pig Allegation is not just improbable. Having heard all the evidence and argument I am convinced that it is false.

'It was an invention by the defendant.'

Anton Barkhuysen, 73, said he was ridiculed in the hamlet of Tregolls in Stithians, Cornwall

He has now been completely exonerated after he sued her for harassment, slander and false imprisonment in the High Court in London (pictured)

The court heard Mr Barkhuysen was against part of Tregolls Common being fenced off by Ms Hamilton so she could keep her pigs there.

Mr Barkhuysen told the newspaper that it has been five years of 'hell' dealing with the actress.

He said: 'Because she could not do what she wanted she resorted to a war of terror against myself, my household and my family.

'She had me arrested for having sexual intercourse with a pig, which was a complete pack of lies.

'She is an actress who has had bit parts in Doc Martin and I think she used her acting skills to fool the police.

'The pig allegation is disgusting. I am well known in the village and it is horrifying to think about what people thought.'