A MAN accused of raping a prostitute was cleared yesterday of one of the charges against him.

A jury found Peter Thompson, 20, not guilty of one of the two charges of rape he faced at Teesside Crown Court.

After more than five hours of deliberation, the jury of three women and nine men could not reach a verdict on a second charge of rape faced by Mr Thompson.

Judge Anthony Briggs had previously directed the jury to deliver a majority verdict on the second charge, after they had been considering their verdict for more than three and a half hours.

The jury could not agree a verdict and they were discharged by the judge.

Mr Thompson, of Portman Street, Middlesbrough, denied two charges of raping a prostitute in his car after picking her up in Middlesbrough in August last year.

Judge Briggs remanded Mr Thompson into custody, to appear in court again tomorrow.

He told Stephen Ashurst, prosecuting, he would expect a final decision as to whether the prosecution wished to have a retrial on the charge of rape on which the jury could not reach a verdict.