A 41-YEAR-OLD North West man has been found not guilty of raping his daughter.

The verdict follows a DNA test not linking the man to the crime.

The identity of the man cannot be revealed to protect the victim.

The medical report on the charge sheet states that the child was raped by the accused but the DNA result came out negative, proving that the man did not rape the girl.

The girl previously told the court she had sex with her father at his house on two occasions.

Passing judgment yesterday, Mmabatho Regional Court magistrate Abigail Juries found that the state had not proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

Juries said although it was clear that the child had been raped, the evidence did not link the case with the accused.

She also said witnesses had contradicted each other during the trial.

It is alleged that the man started raping his daughter in 2006 when she was three years old and repeated the rape again when the girl was six years old.