Former builder Melvin Riggs told of how he contemplated suicide after he was charged with repeatedly sexually abusing a girl.

Mr Riggs, 59, of The Croft, Urchfont, was cleared of all nine charges at Swindon Crown Court last week.

He and his wife, Rose, 57, said their lives could restart following the jury’s unanimous not guilty verdicts.

Father-of-two Mr Riggs said: “You do think to yourself is it worth carrying on or do you just give up and put yourself on the railway track. I could have just gone down to the railway line and finished it.”

He was arrested last July and despite his denials he was charged with eight counts of indecent assault and one of gross indecency with a child. The complainant, now 21, said she was molested by Mr Riggs between 1996 to 2000.

She claimed he had threatened to “bury her” if she told anyone about it. She said she kept quiet for almost a decade until she told her boyfriend.

Mr Riggs said: “When the police charged me I was gobsmacked, I couldn’t take it in. I thought the case would get slung out but when it went to trial I was facing 12 to 13 years in prison. I knew if I went to prison I would go as an innocent man.”

He was prescribed anti- depressants and gave up his job as a car cleaner and maintenance worker at Upavon Army camp.

Mrs Riggs, who is disabled through osteo arthritis, said: “I never had any doubts about my husband’s innocence. You have to be a very good liar to do what Melvin was accused of and Melvin is not a very good liar.”

The jury returned their not guilty verdicts after 57 minutes of deliberation.

Mr Riggs said: “When the jury foreman announced the not guilty verdicts I thought ‘thank goodness someone’s seen sense’. I know I never done it and my name has been cleared.”

Mr Riggs has no bitterness towards the girl. He said: “I feel sorry for her. Whatever caused her to make false allegations, I don’t know.”

Mr and Mrs Riggs said they are grateful for the support from family and friends. Mrs Riggs said: “Our friends and neighbours have been really brilliant. I don’t think we would have got through it without their support.”