‘15 months of absolute hell’ as Jersey student cleared of rape in UK

The family of a student cleared of rape and sexual assault said they have been through 15 months of “absolute hell”.

Louis Richardson, the 21-year-old former secretary of Durham University’s prestigious Union Society debating club, was suspended from his history studies after he was accused of raping and sexually assaulting one student and sexually assaulting another.

A jury at Durham Crown Court took less than three hours to clear him of all four charges, following a trial which lasted six days.

Richardson remained motionless when the four ‘not guilty’ verdicts were read out by the foreman.

In a statement outside court, the family said: “It has been 15 months of absolute hell for the whole family.

“We are relieved that justice has been done and would like to thank the jury.”

Richardson, from Jersey, was accused of raping a woman at his student house when she was “crazy drunk” and unresponsive.

Philippa McAtasney, defending, had said the complainant was a “highly manipulative, dishonest, dangerous young woman”.

The woman alleged Richardson sexually assaulted her at a party by lifting her dress and exposing her bra, saying: “Get your tits out... everyone else has seen them.”

The jury was told by the barrister in her closing speech that her client would not use that phrase, saying: “You may think he has a somewhat unique style for a young man of his age, a flowery style, verbose, quite posh you may think. He is not on trial for that.”

Counsel reminded the jury the complainant was still calling him “darling” in Facebook messages after the alleged rape and sexual assault occurred.

He was also accused of sexually assaulting a different woman at a house party when she was ill in bed.

Richardson, who was debating politics with others in the room at the time, told the jury he had comforted her momentarily by placing a hand on her shoulder, and she had pulled it to her breast.

It was unclear if he will complete his degree at Durham, having been doing voluntary work in Jersey.

He told the jury that, after details of his arrest were published in university newspapers, “I arranged to take a break, then I was ultimately suspended from the university until further notice”.