A former Oxford academic has been cleared of rape and sexual coercion by a Swiss court.

Tariq Ramadan is an Islamic studies scholar and in 2007 he became a professor at St Antony’s College Oxford.

The case was brought to light by a Swiss woman who claimed Mr Ramadan had raped her in a Geneva hotel room in 2008.

READ MORE: NEW £250K adventure playground with interactive games and tunnels

The woman told the court that the alleged offence occurred after she was invited by the former Oxford academic for coffee.

She said she was subject to a brutal sexual assault, beatings and insults.

The 60-year-old faced up to three years in prison if convicted.

He denied all the charges but did say that he had met the woman.

Mr Ramadan is a Swiss citizen and is also the grandson of Hassan al-Banna who founded the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

He was once seen as a ‘rock star’ of Islamic thought and appeared as a voice of reason as Europe was hit by terrorist attacks and rising anti-Muslim feeling.

Mr Ramadan condemned terrorism and opposed the death party.

He was also denied entry to Tunisia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Syria because, he said, he had criticised their lack of democracy.

He was listed in Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2004.

But his rise to the top stalled in 2017 when a French woman accused Mr Ramadan of rape.

Other women then came forward and by 2020 he was facing five rape charges.

He has vehemently denied all the accusations against him.

The case in Switzerland was the first to come to trial.

After the evidence was heard, three Swiss judges spent a week deliberating and found him innocent.

Mr Ramadan left Oxford University in 2021 by mutual agreement on the basis of early retirement on grounds of ill-health.

National reports state that he told the court this week that he has multiple sclerosis.