A MAN accused of raping a woman is desperate to start afresh after the case against him was dropped.

Sean Copley, 23, of Viola Close, South Ockendon, was arrested in August 2013 and charged with three counts of rape.

However, the case against Mr Copley was dropped on Thursday at Basildon Crown Court due to insufficient evidence.

He is now hoping to start afresh after “living through hell” for the past year.

Mr Copley said: “I’m just relieved it’s over. The last year has been hell. It’s been so stressful. I lost my job because of everything that has gone on.

“Since the arrest my reputation just started to go downhill and it got completely ruined. It was horrible, especially because I knew I was innocent the whole way through.”

Mr Copley was charged with three counts of raping a woman over the age of 16 between November 22, 2008, and November 22, 2009.

He said: “It all started off as a shock because I was literally arrested at about four in the morning. I wasn’t even home. My mum called me to come home as police were waiting for me.

“Since then my reputation has been ruined. I’m happy that my name has now been cleared so I can forget all that has happened and start again with a new beginning.”

A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “We can confirm the case against Mr Copley has been discontinued, due to an inconsistency in the evidence.

“Because of this we felt this was the appropriate course of action. In all cases involving rape, the file is reviewed by specialist rape lawyers on more than one occasion.

“In this case it was at the point of further review and a full file of evidence that we decided the case should not go ahead.

“This was then considered by another senior lawyer to ensure the decision was the correct one.

“However, rape cases are among the most serious that we deal with and we make every effort to make sure they are prosecuted correctly.”