Crown Prosecution Service issues statement after Ched Evans cleared of rape
Ched was acquitted of raping a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room in north Wales, after a two-week retrial.
This afternoon, the CPS, which is responsible for the administration of court cases, released a statement about the case.
Ed Beltrami, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Wales said:
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Hide Ad“We respect the decision of the jury today. This case hinged on the issue of sexual consent – that someone consents if they agree by choice and have the freedom and capacity to make that choice. Being drunk does not mean a person relinquishes their right to consent, that they are to blame for being attacked or that they were ‘fair game’.
“The prosecution argued that the complainant did not have the capacity to consent, but the jury found they could not be sure, beyond reasonable doubt, that the complainant did not consent, or that Evans thought she was not consenting.
“I would like to thank the complainant for her courage throughout this case, and the previous trial.”