A Christian parent has been cleared of child cruelty after telling a jury he did not use a cane or belt on his children.
The 46-year-old Pentecostalist was alleged to have quoted verses from the Bible to his children to justify his punishments but has been found not guilty of ill treating his family.
He told Exeter Crown Court that his ex wife and three children have all lied about his behaviour as a result of an acrimonious family break-up.
The father broke down in tears and sobbed in the dock as the jury returned their not guilty verdicts.
He had earlier told them he did not believe in the Biblical proverb that to spare the rod is to spoil the child and had never adopted it as a guide to family discipline.
He insisted his interpretation of the Scriptures led him to be a loving, caring and patient parent.
The father, from Devon, was acquitted of two counts of cruelty against his step-daughter and oldest son from when they were aged three or four to 15 or 16.
They allege they were beaten with a belt or cane, made to take cold showers, kicked, and made to sit cross legged staring at a wall for days on end.
They said he had read verses from Proverbs Chapter 13 in the Bible about 'sparing the rod and spoiling the child' to justify his use of the cane.
The father told the jury he had smacked the two older children when they were young but never beaten them with a cane or belt or enforced the facing-the-wall punishment for more than a few minutes.
He said the allegations only surfaced after his wife told him their marriage was over and she wanted him to leave the house.
He said:"I did not use any form of violence towards the children. They are telling lies. I was not a bully in any way."
He denied ever reading the passage from the Bible about sparing the rod. He said:"There is no such scripture.
"I did used to sit regularly at the kitchen table with the children and read the Bible but it was always a message of love, peace and patience."
Miss Mary McCarthy, defending, told the jury there were serious inconsistencies between the accounts given by the two alleged victims, their younger sister and their mother.
She said details about when and where the children were punished did not match up and nobody outside the family had reported seeing any bruising.
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