Dutch popular singer Marco Borsato has been found not guilty of sexually abusing an underage girl, with judges in Utrecht saying there is not enough evidence for a conviction.

The public prosecution department had said Borsato should be jailed for five months for the abuse, which the singer has always denied.

Borsato, who was in court for the verdict, was reported to police in 2021 by a 22-year-old woman who claimed the singer had touched her sexually from the age of 15. The girl is the daughter of the singer’s fan club chairwoman, who allegedly discovered the abuse when reading her daughter’s diary.

The OM decided in 2023 there were grounds for prosecution, prioritising the case over others because of its “impact on society” and because Borsato’s name had been leaked.

The case then took another two years to get to court because of investigations requested by the lawyers of both parties, including a probe into the authenticity of the diary.

The court ruled on Thursday that the diary does not provide enough evidence of when, how and where Borsato is supposed to have touched her. Other evidence to support the claim was unconvincing or lacking, the court said.

Secret recordings made by the girl’s mother were also lacking in concrete facts, the court said. Borsato, by contrast, had been consistent in his position throughout, judges said.

Borsato was surrounded by reporters after the verdict had been announced, telling them that “prejudices will always remain, but I have been able to prove my innocence”.

The singer has not performed since the accusations surfaced four years ago, and has also resigned as ambassador for charity WarChild.

In 2022, Borsato was also accused of groping candidates in the Voice of Holland talent show, but this case did not come to court because of a lack of evidence.