A man put up posters around villages falsely accusing two former work colleagues of being child rapists.

Derrick Scott, 35, of Botley Road, Oxford, admitted placing several posters with the words "Protect Our Children" in the villages of Bladon and Chipping Norton.

The posters accused Mark Cheetham, of Park Street, Bladon, of being a child rapist who had raped two girls aged seven and 13. Similar posters were placed along Wilcox Road, Chipping Norton, near the home of Jeremy Habberley.

Prosecuting, Bill White said police were inundated with phone calls from people in August this year when the posters went up, demanding to know whether the allegations were true. Mr White said: "It was a wholly malicious act and there was no truth in it at all. The circumstances were fictitious and malicious."

Scott, who appeared before Bicester magistrates, pleaded guilty to two charges of causing fear of provocation of violence.

Mr White said the posters were traced back to Scott's home and police discovered they had been produced on a computer at his home.

Justin Houston-Roberts, defending, asked magistrates to adjourn the case for pre-sentence reports to include a psychiatric report.

He said: "My client felt he was the subject of a hoax campaign. He wanted them to feel the same way as him."

The case was adjourned until January 11 at Banbury Magistrates' Court.

Story date: Tuesday 07 December

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