A businessman kissed the floor of a courtroom after he was cleared of raping two women.

Jeyganeshan Nageswaran had been accused of seven charges of rape and one of attempted rape involving one woman and one charge of raping the other woman.

But a jury at Maidstone Crown Court acquitted him of all charges.

The prosecution had alleged he used the first woman's immigration difficulties to stop her reporting him for sexually abusing her.

The married 42-year-old Sri Lankan owns a number of service stations in Kent and Essex, as well as a convenience store in north Kent.

Andrew Collings, prosecuting, said the woman came to the UK to study and met Mr Nageswaran in Essex in 2008.

She did some work for him and was told it would be cash in hand and there was no need for a National Insurance number.

Mr Collings alleged Mr Nageswaran, who lives in Chislehurst, went on to rape the woman on several occasions.

It was the Crown's case, he said, that Mr Nageswaran committed oral rape on the second woman.

Mr Nageswaran claimed sex with the first woman was consensual and described her as his girlfriend. He denied any sexual impropriety with the second woman.