Felix Lara has been found not guilty of harming a woman in Noumea by sexually assaulting her. -AAP Image
A Sydney dance instructor has been found not guilty of recklessly causing an Australian citizen serious harm in another country.
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Felix Azarias Lara, 38, was accused of recklessly causing serious harm to an Australian citizen by sexually assaulting her in the French territory of New Caledonia while the pair were in its capital Noumea for a Kizomba dance event in July 2015.
His lawyers argued the attack never happened and so could not have placed her at serious harm.
"The starting point in this case is whether this conduct that is alleged occurred and the defence alleges it didn't," Mr Lara's barrister Luke Brash told the NSW District Court trial.
A psychiatrist diagnosing the woman with post traumatic stress disorder was therefore irrelevant, he said.
The jury found Mr Lara not guilty on Friday.
He was arrested in 2022 following an international investigation by Australian Federal Police and was on bail during his trial.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
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