A father from Newton Abbot has been cleared of turning his daughter into a real life Cinderella after telling a jury that her claims were a fairy tale.

John Foley, aged 73, was found not guilty of all charges by a jury in less than an hour after accusing his 27-year-old daughter Joanne of inventing every detail of her tormented childhood.

After the case, Mr Foley said: 'I'm glad it's all over and I have cleared my name. It has been a nightmare.

'I have had sleepless nights and my family have suffered because I was branded a father from hell.'

Joanne alleged former nurse Mr Foley turned her into a domestic slave, almost drowned her in a bath and bundled her into a holdall and threatened to pack her off to London.

She told Exeter Crown Court she endured 12 years of misery in which she was never shown any affection and pushed, slapped or stamped on daily.

Joanne alleged she was smacked on her bare bottom, locked her in her room for days on end, and forced to repeat domestic chores until the kitchen and bathroom were spotless.

She claimed to have been a real-life Cinderella who was treated as a dogsbody while her father lavished love and presents on his three younger stepdaughters.

Mr Foley, of Chudleigh Road, was found not guilty of 13 counts of child cruelty dating covering the period when Joanne was aged between four and 16. The jury took less than an hour to reach their verdicts.

He said he had taken Joanne's mother into his new home after splitting from her mother and moving to Devon. He insisted that when he and his new wife Susan, aged 51, started their own family they treated Joanne exactly the same as their three daughters.

Mr Foley dismissed Joanne's claims. He said: 'They are ludicrous; absolute rubbish. She has twisted it completely. It is a lie. She has swirled it up into something horrible.

'Some of the allegations beggar belief. These are disgusting lies. She broke my heart. It did not happen. It's absolute rubbish. I was so upset by her lies. She could have ruined the whole family.'

he said: 'It is inconceivable that I did what she says. It is impossible for it to be true. She did gymnastics in a leotard, swimming in trunks, ballet in a tutu and was examined by doctors every three months and there was not one sign of a bruise or hair pulling

'It would not be possible for what she said to have happened without leaving a mark on the child.'

His wife Susan, aged 51, a health visitor, said Joanne had a happy and loving childhood. Asked about her allegations she said: 'It never happened. I feel deeply hurt and gutted and upset. I was there when these things are supposed to have taken place.

'I feel deeply sad she is using this. She was treated the same as the other children. She was never excluded from Christmas. The allegations are disgusting.'

After the case Joanne said: 'I'm very disappointed.'