Wellington, March 5 NZPA - A former prison guard accused of sexually violating his stepdaughter's friend has been found not guilty.

The 48-year-old man, who has name suppression, was on trial at the Wellington District Court, charged with nine counts of sexual violation, attempting to commit sexual violation and indecent assault.

He was yesterday found not guilty on all nine charges.

Defence counsel Mike Antunovic had argued the man did not abuse the 16-year-old girl and events did not occur as she described.

The girl testified to being sexually violated by the man on two occasions -- once at Lake Wairarapa and once at his home -- in early 2009.

Mr Antunovic said the complaint was false although there had been one instance of mutual sexual touching, during which the man had "leaked" seminal fluid on the girl's neck and stomach.

The girl's evidence was "simply and inherently unbelievable", he said.

He described the girl as a loud attention-seeker who had an "obsessive" crush on one of her teachers.

"There is no truly independent evidence to support what the complainant is saying."

During closing arguments yesterday, Crown prosecutor Mark O'Donoghue said the girl was telling the truth and had not complained immediately out of confusion, shock and fear.

"She didn't know there was this thing called unlawful sexual connection," he said.

The man acted in a "calculated and conscious" manner, even showering and shaving before the encounter in his home, he said.

Claims that the girl had initiated the encounter were "rubbish" and the man was lying to save his relationship and job, Mr O'Donoghue said.

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