A KARATE instructor has been arrested on suspicion of raping one of his students.

Former bouncer Andrew Crawford was released on bail without charge following the allegation and is due to return to Gablecross police station next month.

Mr Crawford, 36, ran the Tae-beck martial arts club at Freshbrook Community Centre before starting a franchise of the Matt Fiddes Martial Arts School on the same site.

He was an instructor in Swindon for a number of years before the allegation, which is being dealt with by Swindon police's child protection unit.

Mr Crawford, who worked as a doorman at Kaos nightclub, in East Street, was arrested on November 14 last year.

The incident is alleged to have taken place between September 1 and November 11.

Mr Crawford was interviewed by police and released on bail pending further inquiries.

He is due to return to Gablecross police station on April 2.

Matt Fiddes, who has turned his martial arts schools into a global brand, said Mr Crawford had been teaching karate at Freshbrook Community Centre for between seven and eight months.

"He owned the franchise, but he no longer works for us any more," Mr Fiddes said. "The police had to inform us there was an allegation."

"He has been teaching in Swindon for many years."

Owning the franchise meant Mr Crawford paid to use the name Matt Fiddes and to use Mr Fiddes' curriculum.

In 2005 Mr Crawford, a fourth dan in Tae Kwon-Do, kick boxing and Chung Kwon Do, also hired out the hall at Malmesbury Primary School for an open day to help teach youngsters how to fend off bullies.

In May 1999 Mr Crawford, then a third degree black belt in Tae Kwon-Do and hapkido, came fifth at the European Martial Arts Open.

Before that he came second in the English Open.

He took up martial arts at the age of five after being bullied at school for being dyslexic.