Douglas Goatley of Church Street was said to have abused the boy, who was aged between five and seven years old, at a maisonette in Hackney, east London during the mid-1980s.

But a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court took just 95 minutes to clear the 54-year-old electrical engineer on Friday.

Mr Goatley told jurors that the victim, who is now aged 28 and cannot be named for legal reasons, had confused him with his real abuser.

“I can’t say who he was because I don’t know the the person,” he said.

“But I believe it was another partner of the boy’s mother.”

Mr Goatley, who was accused of sneaking into the boy’s bedroom on two occasions, said he had no sexual interest in children.

“I would not have gone into his bedroom, he said.

“It was not me, I didn’t do anything.

“I didn’t sexually abuse anyone.”

Mr Goatley said he was shocked when cops put the allegations to him in 2005 and he could still not believe what the alleged victim said in evidence.

Earlier in the trial the victim fought back tears as he described how he was asleep in his bedroom at night when he was “woken up suddenly” and abused.

“It seemed to go on for a long time because I was trying to pull myself away,” he said.

“I don’t know how long, but it seemed a long time.”

Referring to his police interview after being arrested, Mr Goatley said he was “gobsmacked” and told the court he couldn’t believe the allegations being made against him.

“It was like he was talking about someone else, not me,” he said.

Mr Goatley was cleared of indecent assault on a male person.