A young businessman who lost everything after being falsely accused of sexual assault has backed calls for anonymity to be granted to those charged with sexual offences.

Kingsley Michaels was found not guilty of assaulting a 22-year-old woman from Walthamstow at Snaresbrook Crown Court last week.

It took the jury just five minutes to reach its decision to reject the claim that he had been a cab driver who had assaulted the woman while driving her home following a night out in September 2012.

In fact they had both gone back to his house after meeting in a club, and Mr Michaels said he had driven her home the next morning and explained he did not want a relationship.

After he had returned home, however, police arrived to arrest him in front of his children on suspicion of sexual assault.

The accusation took its toll – the mothers of his three children blocked him from seeing them, while his friends cut all ties from him and clients stopped using his business, Sika Academy, which encouraged young people into sport and away from street crime.

Now the 28-year-old says he backs the controversial proposal of Bar Council chairwoman Maura McGowan to provide anonymity for those accused of sexual offences until proven guilty.

He said: “I'd be 100 per cent in favour of that. It can actually ruin your life totally and I would strongly suggest people should be anonymous until proven guilty.

“Previous to this I would’ve given a different answer but there are always two sides to a story.”

The proposal would see those accused of sex offences afforded the same anonymity given to victims.

Mr Michaels said he disagreed with charity Rape Crisis, which claimed the proposal would discourage victims from reporting sex crimes, and actually protect people who may have committed a very serious offence.

He added: “They should never stay silent and if someone is guilty then a court will discover that.

“I have had my car vandalised, my life has been destroyed by the allegation. I think your name shouldn’t be smeared in the papers before you are even judged in court.

“The whole thing has been absolutely horrible.”

Now Mr Michaels, of Hudson Road in Bexleyheath, wants to start putting his life back together and hopes to re-establish contact with his kids and get Sika Academy off its knees.

He said: “I want to continue in this line of working, helping young people. It’s my dream.”