Goody’s widower cleared of rape

JACK TWEED, widower of reality television star Jade Goody, walked free from court after he was found not guilty of raping a student.

A jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court, in east London, took less than 30 minutes to find the 22-year-old club promoter not guilty of two counts of raping the woman at his home on September 4 last year.

The allegations were “scurrilous and completely groundless”, Tweed said as he left court.

His friend, Anthony Davis, 26, a property developer, was also cleared of one count of raping the girl, who was 19 at the time of the incident.

Tweed issued a statement through his solicitor, Philip Smith, which read: “I’m relieved that the jury have taken a matter of minutes to see through these scurrilous and completely groundless allegations.

“I now want to put the last eight months behind me and rebuild my life as a 22-year-old young man.”

There were roars of delight from a packed public gallery as the not guilty verdicts were returned.

The jury heard the young woman, now a 20-year-old student from Hertfordshire, went with friends to Tweed’s house in east London, after a night out at the Embassy Club in Mayfair.

Her first contact with Tweed was when he started kissing the back of her neck.

She initially tried to laugh it off but Tweed became “more heavy-handed”, the court heard.

She accused Tweed of raping her in his room, but admitted that she went along with it at first kissing him back.

Tweed then had sex with her for a second time on the bed and Davis joined in, the court heard.

Tweed, who married Big Brother star Goody, 27, shortly before she lost her battle against cervical cancer in March 2009, and Davis, of Stradbroke Drive, Chigwell, Essex, both denied rape.