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A man cleared of rape is suing police and prosecutors after they failed to disclose messages that would have proved his innocence.

Liam Allan, 22, of south-east London, accused of 12 rapes and sex assaults, said he lived in “a terrible limbo” as police withheld 40,000 messages from his accuser.

He had faced up to 20 years in jail if guilty.

But the case against Mr Allan at Croydon Crown Court was dropped after three days when the evidence on a computer disk containing 40,000 messages revealed the alleged victim pestered him for "casual sex", reports the Mirror.

(Image: BBC)

Mr Allan, a criminology student, said he has “no choice” but to sue police and the Crown Prosecution Service, who have yet to offer an apology.

A judge at Croydon Crown Court has called for an inquiry.

The Met is investigating after a new prosecutor found the messages.

Talking to the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme, Mr Allan said: "University is meant to be the best years of your life and the last two years have been spent worrying and not concentrating on anything.

"It has completely ripped apart my normal personal life.

"I feel relief on one side, that the case is over, but now there's the stress of getting compensation and the process of suing - so it's not over completely."

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