A FORMER councillor has been cleared of allegations of raping a child.

David Hooper, of Gallion Road Chafford Hundred stood trial at Basildon Crown Court charged with three counts of rape of a child.

The former chairman of the Basildon Hospitals was not guilty of all counts by a jury.

During the trial the case heard Mr Hooper had allegedly tried to rape a child and parents told the court about the allegations.

One of the parents told the court and jury that his daughter told him nobody else knew about the alleged incident and Mr Hooper had allegedly threatened to kill her parents if they found out.