A church pastor convicted of sex abuse was a victim of a miscarriage of justice, appeal judges have ruled.

Scotland’s senior judge, the Lord Justice General Lord Carloway, said the convictions against Walter Masocha would be quashed.

Dr Masocha, 52, was earlier made the subject of an order to carry out 250 hours’ unpaid work.

Sheriff Kenneth McGowan, who sentenced former university lecturer Mr Masocha at Falkirk Sheriff Court, said he had suffered a “spectacular fall from grace”.

Mr Masocha had denied sexually assaulting a woman at the Church of Agape and engaging in sexual activity towards a schoolgirl at its base at Sauchieburn, Stirling.

During his trial one woman was cross-examined over e-mails she had sent which included statements such as: “You did nothing wrong to me” and “My Hero, my mentor, my rock.”

Following the case lawyers lodged a legal challenge.

His counsel John Scullion QC argued before Lord Carloway, sitting with Lady Paton and Lord Drummond Young, at the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh that a miscarriage of justice had occurred.

Five grounds of appeal were put forward on behalf of Mr Masocha.

Lord Carloway said that on one of the grounds the Crown accepted that there was a misdirection by a failure to direct on a point over prior inconsistent statements.

The senior judge said they were satisfied that a miscarriage of justice had occurred.