A YOUNG man cleared of raping a student after a York nightclub encounter says the accusations will leave him scarred for this rest of his life.

Hotel worker Damien Robertson told the Evening Press that he would have taken his own life if he had been found guilty of the charge, which he vehemently denied.

The 21-year-old, who lost a stone in weight during the eight-month judicial process, said: "This has ruined the rest of my life and I am never going to forget it. It will always be there at the back of my mind."

A jury found Mr Robertson, of Acomb Road, not guilty of raping a 20-year-old woman he met at York's Gallery nightclub last year.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, alleged he offered to escort her home and then forced her to have sex with him.

But Mr Robertson said the woman verbally consented to sex in her bedroom after kissing him on the dance floor and inviting him home with her.

Speaking at his parent's Acomb home, Mr Robertson said he could not believe it when officers knocked on his door in October, 2002, and arrested him.

He said two nights in police cells, during which he was interviewed for more than seven hours, left him distraught and unable to eat, sleep or even speak to his family.

"It was the worst experience of my life and probably the worst experience for my family as well," he said.

"I've lost my flat, I can't go back to college because of stress and I nearly lost my job. For eight months I have not even been allowed over the bridge to the east side of York."

His father, Ian, 41, criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for failing to look at CCTV evidence from the nightclub and at text messages his son had sent to the woman. He complained that, while his son endured eight months in the public eye after being named by the police, the complainant was given anonymity for life.

"If there was a complaints procedure against the CPS we would look at it because we feel it would be in the public interest.

"Just how many cases do they prosecute when the evidence is stacked against them? This case could easily have cost the taxpayer as much as £100,000," he said.

A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service said the case was reviewed in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

She said: "The evidential test satisfied sufficient evidence and it was in the public interest to proceed. The trial was completed and went to the jury for their decision.

"Full disclosure did take place on the case and there were no abuse of process arguments raised by the defence."

Updated: 10:36 Wednesday, June 18, 2003