Thursday, April 26, 2012

Ched Evans rape case: three men arrested in Twitter investigation

Ched-Evans Three men have been arrested as part of the investigation into the naming on Twitter of the victim in the Ched Evans rape case, police say.

Evans, a Sheffield United footballer, was jailed for five years last week for raping a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room.

Two of the men have been arrested under section five of the Sexual Offences Amendments Act and the other is being held on suspicion of malicious communication, police said.

The men are being detained by South Yorkshire police at Sheffield police station, where they are being interviewed by officers from North Wales police.

Steve Williams, Detective Chief Inspector of North Wales police, said: "These arrests were made with the assistance of South Yorkshire police and are part of a series of planned arrests we will be making during this ongoing investigation."

Evans, 23, a Wales international striker, was convicted at Caernarfon crown court of raping the woman, who was said to be "too drunk to consent".

After the trial, the victim of the rape was named and subjected to abuse on Twitter and other websites.

The Sheffield United defender Connor Brown has been suspended by the club for comments he made on Twitter following the trial.

The Blades' reserve-team player responded to Evans's prison sentence by tweeting comments relating to the case and his support for his teammate.

North Wales police described the alleged comments on Twitter as "profoundly disturbing" and said they had contributed to the young woman's "continued trauma".

Victims of rape and sexual assault are guaranteed the legal right to lifetime anonymity.

Evans admitted having sex with the victim at a hotel in North Wales last May.

In her evidence, the woman said she had no memory of the incident and the prosecution argued she was too drunk to consent to sexual intercourse.

Evans's co-accused, the Port Vale defender Clayton McDonald, 23, who also admitted having sex with the victim, was found not guilty.

Evans announced on Tuesday that he would appeal against his conviction. In a statement posted on Sheffield United's website, the law firm Brabners Chaffe Street said Evans "maintains his innocence" and would be appealing against the jury's verdict.

The Guardian

 
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