A man has been freed from allegations of historical sexual abuse after the collapse of a third trial.
The Hawke's Bay man, who has final name suppression, was standing trial in the Napier District Court this week after pleading not guilty to 11 charges that alleged he sexually abused his daughter and niece decades ago.
There was a hung jury in his first trial in June last year and the second trial this February was aborted after a key witness fell ill for unrelated reasons.
On Wednesday morning, Judge Geoff Rea called an abrupt end to the third trial in the middle of the prosecution's evidence, and made a suppression order prohibiting publication of the reasons behind the trial's collapse.
The defendant had pleaded not guilty to rape, attempted rape, four charges of indecency with a girl aged between 12 and 16 and five charges of indecency with a girl under 12 years old.