A jury has acquitted a man accused of aggravated burglary and assault.

Anthony Kingwell was named as one of three men who allegedly attacked Louise Ashdown inside her Ashford home on January 22 this year.

By majority verdict, the jury found the 36-year-old, of no fixed abode, not guilty on both charges at Canterbury Crown Court last Thursday.

Prosecutor Peter Walsh claimed Mr Kingwell and two unidentified hooded men burst into Miss Ashdown’s flat in Park Place off Beaver Road, South Ashford, mob-handed at 1.30am.

He claimed they searched the property for drugs and money, then ordered Miss Ashdown to strip in an effort to find contraband.

She told the court she was only made to remove her shorts and was not sexually assaulted.

During the alleged incident, Mr Kingwell punched Miss Ashdown and stole her £20 Nokia mobile phone, Judge Adele Williams heard.

But James Burke, defending, argued his client had never attended the property.

He claimed the complainant lied about the crime to avoid getting into trouble with drug dealers over bad debt.

Mr Kingwell told the court: “I don’t run into properties, kick down doors in the morning and strip females.”

The jury took three hours and 39 minutes in its deliberation last week.

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