The Romsdal district court in the western Norwegian county of Moere and Romsdal has aquitted a 21-year-old man of raping his half-sister when he was 15, the Norwegian broadcast company NRK reported on Thursday.

The acquittal was given because the evidence was too weak, according to the verdict.

The man was accused of raping the now-18-year-old girl for one year from she was 12.

The court ruled that it could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt that the man had committed the acts.

However, the court ordered him to pay 150,000 kroner (25,000 US dollars) in damages to his half-sister.

Their mother was also indicted in the court for abusing and threatening the girl.