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Tennis coach father John De'Viana cleared of cruelty | |
(35 minutes later) | |
A tennis coach father who was accused of abusing his daughters in a bid to make them champions of Wimbledon has been cleared of mistreating them. | |
John De'Viana, 54, was alleged to have beaten and verbally abused his two daughters Monaei and Nephe after they failed to meet his expectations. | |
He said the claims were fabricated because he separated from their mother. | |
Jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court unanimously cleared him of two counts of child abuse after a two-week trial. | |
Mr De'Viana, a former karate champion from Ilford, east London, said his relationship with his daughters had suffered after he walked out on their mother, Michelle Horne, in 2011. | |
Under his guidance the girls became among the country's brightest tennis talents, with the younger sister, Nephe, even appearing alongside Andy Murray on a Lawn Tennis Association advert. | |
But they quit the sport shortly after he left, despite having a future on court, jurors were told. | |
Monaei, 21, told the court: "He was always coach, he was never actually dad. He was awful to me." | |
The court was told that when she was aged about nine or 10, Mr De'Viana wrote "L for Loser" on her face during a training session and then locked her in a caravan. | |
Her sister Nephe, 19, also accused her father of violent and intimidating behaviour towards her. | |
Mr De'Viana admitted that as his girls improved in the sport, the fun appeared to wane. | |
He told jurors: "I began to understand the crossover line between coach and father. I felt that Monaei and I weren't enjoying all the fun things that we used to do." | |
He added: "As a father and a coach there was a fine line and I was already struggling to stay on balance." |