Swindon Town manager Michael Flynn has confirmed that defender Williams Kokolo is currently on trial with the club.

Kokolo, 23, was unanimously acquitted of three counts of the rape of a woman in the Birmingham area last February, following a jury deliberation of two hours and 34 minutes.

The former AS Monaco defender was accused of attacking a woman after meeting her on a dating site, but he maintained that sexual contact with the woman had been consensual.

The French-born player was acquitted of the charges at trial in June and was then let go by his former club Burton Albion.

Michael Flynn confirmed that Kokolo has been on trial at Swindon this week, but to this point, he has not been offered a contract.

He said: “I am fully aware of the things on social media and in the reports of what he was accused of, I am also fully aware that he was acquitted by a court of law.

“I have spoken to a lot of people who have worked with him and who know him and he is here on trial.

“We are a democracy, and there was a jury that found him not guilty.

“I do not condone rape, it is a disgusting crime and I can firmly say that if he had been found guilty then he wouldn’t be here.

“I want to be very mindful of the victims out there who haven’t had justice, but there are also people who have had their names tarnished due to false claims, and I say that meaning when they have been cleared by a court of law.

“I understand it [some feeling uneasy], I don’t always have the same views as other people and the bottom line is that he was cleared by a court of law.

“He is just training with us at the moment, I am thoroughly doing my background checks, and I do understand the fragility of this issue.

“There is my reputation, there is the club’s reputation, there are the fans, which are the heart and soul of this football club, that we have to take into consideration.

“But we have to remember that there is a young man with a family who has been acquitted, and I was brought up to believe in innocent until proven guilty.

“Times have changed with social media, you are guilty until proven innocent, and then you are still guilty.”