Former Britain’s Got Talent finalist acquitted of raping two women
Andrew Johnston, 30, was cleared at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday
Former Britain’s Got Talent finalist Andrew Johnston, 30, has been found not guilty of raping two women.
Andrew Johnston, 30, competed as a singer on the ITV programme in 2008.
Mr Johnston was charged with raping and sexually assaulting one woman and raping another.
However, he told the Southwark Crown Court during trial that both women had told “a pack of lies”.
He was never aggressive and the sex was consensual, he said.
A jury of nine women and three men found him not guilty on all the charges.
Mr Johnston, wearing a grey suit, held his head in his hands and sobbed as the verdicts were read out.
The alleged offences happened a number of years after Mr Johnston shot to fame as a choirboy on the ITV show, Maryam Syed KC, prosecuting, told the jury previously.
Ms Syed said Mr Johnston, of Carlisle, Cumbria, had been “engaging in consensual sexual activity” with one of the women, but he allegedly removed his condom.
The woman said she “repeatedly told Mr Johnston to stop” but he did not.
The woman told the jury that after the alleged rape she stayed over because she “felt frozen”.
The other woman told police she engaged in consensual sex with the singer and asked him to use a condom.
However, he put his hands around her throat and removed the condom before carrying on, it was alleged.
Mr Johnston was born in Dumfries, Scotland, but moved when he was about eight months old.
After appearing on Britain’s Got Talent, he released an album that went to number four in the UK charts and appeared on tour with other finalists.
He told the court during the trial he had “never sung a note” after the allegations were made.
He has suffered from depression, his mental health is “terrible” and he has lost a relationship, he said.
“I was in a bad place. I was just in a really bad place.”