A TAUNTON man who fought an 18 month battle against accusations that he was illegally distributing films through his file sharing website has been cleared of all charges against him.

Stephen Lanning, 51, of Greenway Road, was arrested along with another man from Glasgow in July 2009 after the Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) accused the pair of using their website FileSoup to help people find and download American films free of charge.

Mr Lanning was held on suspicion of breaching the Copyright and Patents Act and his computer equipment seized in a joint operation between Fact and Avon and Somerset Constabulary.

But the case was thrown out of Bristol Crown Court when lawyers for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) failed to present sufficient evidence, stating before a judge that it was "neither necessary nor appropriate to continue to pursue the matter in a criminal court."

Mr Lanning, who started the website in 2003, expressed his relief at the CPS' decision but felt that he had been treated “like a terrorist” by Avon and Somerset Police.

He said: “The way they barged into my home and just seized all my things was despicable. No one should be treated that way.

“The accusations have put me through absolute hell and I'm glad it's all over.”

Mr Lanning described FileSoup as “an online community” where people can meet and discuss various topics “like you would in a community hall.”

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Constabulary said the police had simply “followed procedures”.

Fact was unavailable for comment.