Christian Maxwell Jackson, 54, found not guilty of rape, choking charges in Geelong County Court

A 54-year-old man has been found not guilty of raping a woman in a Surf Coast town and of four assaults, including strangling, in the County Court of Victoria.

Christian Jackson (pictured) has been found not guilty of three counts of rape and four counts of common law assault after a lengthy jury trial.

A 54-year-old man has been found not guilty of raping a woman in a Surf Coast town and of four assaults, including strangling, in the County Court of Victoria.

Christian Maxwell Jackson had maintained his innocence on 10 charges including three counts of rape after a lenghty trial, with a jury of 12 clearing him of the serious sexual assaults in Geelong on Friday.

He took the stand during the trial to deny the allegations, becoming visibly emotional at times under cross examination and when addressed by his defence counsel.

Christian Jackson.

He was also found not guilty on four of the six common law assault charges he was facing by the jury, which included allegations he strangled the woman on three occasions, and of kicking her down stairs. 

Mr Jackson was found guilty of two counts of common law assault and one count of damage property.

Those charges related to an incident where he held the woman on a bed while attempting to take a mobile phone, and of smashing a car while the victim was inside.

The jury of eight men and four women had been deliberating since Thursday morning before returning to deliver their verdict at about 12.45pm on Friday.

The trial lasted for almost two weeks.

Mr Jackson was bailed to appear at a plea hearing on September 12 by Judge Frances Hogan in relation to the guilty charges.

Originally published as Christian Maxwell Jackson, 54, found not guilty of rape, choking charges in Geelong County Court