An engineer accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a visit to her home to repair her tumble dryer has been cleared by a jury.

Before Ipswich Crown Court was Hotpoint sub-contractor Shingirai Goredema, who had pleaded not guilty to three offences of sexual assault on November 28 last year and was found not guilty of all three charges after a trial.

The 24-year-old woman told the court Goredema had visited her home in Lowestoft to change a panel on her tumble dryer as a result of her model being recalled because of fire safety fears.

While there he had asked to use the shower to clean part of the dryer and while they were in the bathroom he had allegedly suggested they had a shower together.

She claimed he had also taken hold of her arm and whispered in her ear: “When a black man makes love to a white woman it is like an explosion,” and also said: “Once you’ve had black you don’t go back,” before allegedly putting her hand on his chest to feel his heart beating.

During the alleged incident the woman had texted her friend about what was allegedly happening and told her she had never felt so uncomfortable in her life.

Before leaving 44-year-old Goredema had allegedly hugged the woman and squeezed her bottom “firmly”.

She claimed she always kept her front door unlocked but noticed that Goredema had locked it while he was in her house.

Cross-examined by defence counsel Juliet Donovan, the alleged victim denied making up the allegations as part of a “fantasy” and that they were something she had read in a book.

Giving evidence Goredema, of Alexandra Road, Great Yarmouth, denied sexually assaulting the woman or making inappropriate comments to her.

He denied talking about black men and white women having sex and said it was not the kind of thing he would say.

He also denied whispering in the woman’s ear and putting her hand on his chest to feel his heart beating, and denied locking the door to the house and giving her his telephone number because he wanted to see her again.