In an exclusive interview with the Jeddah-based daily Al-Bilad, Al-Kholi expressed his resentment over the way the man has been treated.

He said that he remembered the case of an innocent victim who was held for a long period in jail over the same charges and was only released after the teacher had been arrested.

“I am almost certain that there is no hard evidence against the alleged rapist,” said Al-Kholi, a professor of law at King Abdulaziz University.

“As for the pictures published in newspapers and photos of his house, they are not hard evidence and not logical. I accuse police of badly damaging the reputation of the man and his family. All available evidence so far shows that he is not guilty and the pictures are not hard proof.”

He said that the photos were leaked on purpose to obtain a guilty verdict before he even appears in court. It was leaked on the Internet that a Saudi businessman was going to give generous compensation to families of the victims.

This drove people, according to Al-Kholi, to come forward with unsubstantiated rape claims.

Al-Kholi called on authorities in the future to deal with such cases in total secrecy and to protect sensitive information from leaking to the media to avoid prejudicing trials.

Al-Kholi said that in his opinion, the real rapist is still at large. “There have been at least 25 cases of rape committed against children since the arrest of the schoolteacher.”

Police located the house of the alleged rapist based on information supplied by the latest victim. There have been reports of DNA evidence linking him to the crimes. Over the past four years, up to 30 other suspects had been investigated.

The schoolteacher’s mother has maintained that her son, who is married and father of five children, is innocent.

In an earlier interview published in the local media, his wife said she has full confidence in her husband and will stand by him.