A businessman has described his nightmare year-long battle to clear his name after a waiter accused him of sexual assault.
Simon Correia, 48, found himself dragged to court after the man accused him of touching his bottom following a black-tie awards ceremony at London’s Park Plaza Riverbank hotel in February last year.
Clear CCTV footage showed Mr Correia tap the man's back while he was holding a tray of drinks to alert him not to step backwards as he was just behind him.
But the father-of-two was arrested by a police officer and locked up in a cell for 15 hours before being charged with sexual assault.
Mr Correia's ordeal finally came to an end on February 6 when a judge at Inner London Crown Court dismissed the case in less than two hours after viewing the CCTV footage, saying it "wholly contradicted" the waiter’s claims.
Mr Correia, from Liverpool, told The Mail on Sunday of his horror at potentially being placed on the Sex Offenders Register and the traumatic year-long legal battle cost over £10,000 in legal fees.
He said: "At some points I thought I was going to take my life. I would never do it, but I was so panicked about my business and about how people would perceive me - I’ve never been in trouble in my life and then suddenly I’d been accused of something I hadn’t done by this horrible individual.
"It was like this evil spell had been cast over us."
Now, Mr Correia and his wife Clare, 45, who was him at the black tie event, are seeking answers from the Met Police and the CPS about why they proceeded with the case in spite of the evidence.
They also want the accuser, who has a legal right to anonymity as the “victim” of a sex crime, to face justice for making false claims.
Mr Correia is the company director of high end watch brand Escudo and he and his wife were in the capital after his firm was shortlisted for the Family Business of the Year award by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
After the event concluded, the couple went to the hotel's Chino Latino bar where they mingled with other business leaders and sat down at a table where a waiter was serving drinks.
Mr Correia noticed the waiter was facing away and may not have seen him approach, so he gently tapped the man on the back to make him aware he was there.
He said: "I put my phone down and then said, 'Cheers mate”', while I tapped him on the back and then sat straight down in my chair behind him. That was it. It was innocent and was just a warning of, 'I’m behind you, I’m just letting you know'."
CCTV showed the waiter made no response and carried on serving drinks to the group. But an hour later, Mr Correia was informed the waiter had accused him of groping him and using a finger to penetrate him, which he though was a prank at first.
Two Met Police officers came and took a statement from the waiter, and a female officer's bodycam showed she viewed the incident on the hotel's CCTV.
According to the Mail on Sunday, she was even heard saying, "That’s not what he’s just described" in reference to the waiter’s sordid claim, but she nevertheless went on to arrest Mr Correia.
The trial took place almost a year later on February 26, and collapsed almost immediately as the judge said the waiter's allegations were "wholly contradicted by the CCTV footage".
Mr Correia said he "broke down" and "couldn't stop crying". Members of the jury were also moved, and several came up to him to shake his hand.
The accuser has so far faced no repercussions for his actions. He told officers he was a Muslim and that his "religion is very sensitive to this sort of thing".
Mr Correia says he is disturbed knowing the man is "out there", even after "lying to the police and then lying in court".
He added: "I just want to warn other people about how easily something like this can happen. If it can happen to me it can happen to anyone."
A Met Police spokesman said: "We have a duty to investigate allegations of crime when it is reported to us. This matter was assessed and then proportionately investigated by officers. Police authorised a charge and then the case was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service."
A CPS spokesman said: "We recognise the toll the criminal process can take on both defendants and complainants, and we have written to Mr Correia to explain our decision-making in this case."
Woman who vanished from Hyde Park four months ago is found
No10 in lockdown as Met probe suspicious vehicle near Downing Street - LIVE
'We'll make working people better off,' vows Reeves but fears that London to miss out
Tube predator who sexually assaulted women on packed trains is jailed for 27 weeks
