A 16-month nightmare for a grandfather falsely accused of paedophilia has ended with him being cleared of all charges.

Rajendra Ramyead, 69, of The Park, had always denied touching a girl in a sexual manner, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided to proceed with legal action. Rajendra was accused of touching the girl when she was between the ages of four and 12.

He first pleaded not guilty in St Albans Magistrates’ Court on Friday, January 13, at which time the case was deferred to the crown court. Rajendra was finally found not guilty on all counts at St Albans Crown Court on Friday, July 28.

Rajendra’s daughter-in-law told the Herts Ad about the impact the trial had on her father-in-law, who has lived in St Albans for 34 years.

She said: “The 16 month-long case has been a living nightmare, not only for my father-in-law but also for us; the wider family who has never been in any doubt of his innocence. Thankfully the English legal system served us well but we have been left with a bad taste in our mouths over this whole affair.

“My three girls have been left with a shell of a grandfather who now feels uncomfortable greeting them with a hug. My mother-in-law is left picking up the pieces of the man who did nothing, and my husband and brother-in-law are struggling to lift their father’s spirits and are out of pocket after the huge financial implications this case has had.”

Rajendra’s wife, Shashi, said: “My husband is extremely depressed by this whole thing.

“We have three granddaughters age 12, 10 and nine. We used to live in King Harry Lane and they lived just two streets behind us, and we have been very hands-on grandparents, both of us, and to think that their grandfather has been charged with this, it’s been absolutely horrendous. I never thought in my life I would go through something like this.”

According to Shashi, the girl who accused Rajendra of touching her had only met him about 10 times, and falsely claimed to have regularly slept over at their house.

Shashi said that statements from other witnesses conflicted with the girls’ accusations, and so the prosecuting lawyer did not use them in court.

She added: “My husband has said our girls are never allowed to have friends over again in case one of them decides that one day she would like to tell a little lie.

“False allegations cause so much heartache not only for the accused but for the whole family.”