Louis Richardson: Durham University student cleared of rape and sexual assault charges

The 21-year-old had been accused of raping a student and sexually assaulting another

Louis Richardson, 21, arrives back from lunch at Durham Crown Court, where he denies raping and sexually assaulting one woman and sexually assaulting another in 2014. (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

A 21-year-old Durham University undergraduate has been cleared of raping a student and sexually assaulting another.

Louis Richardson, from Jersey, was cleared of all charges following a trial at Durham Crown Court.

The history student and former secretary of the university’s prestigious Union Society, declined to comment outside court, instead stating: “I would rather let it sink in”.

Richardson had been accused of raping one student at his home and sexually assaulting her at a party. He had also been accused of two counts of sexual assault on another woman in 2014.

He denied all charges. Mr Richardson’s mother hugged him outside the court following the jury’s decision, which had taken less than three hours to return following a six day trial.

Mr Richardson had been suspended from his history studies after he was accused of the crimes, and his family said they have been through 15 months of “absolute hell”.

His mother, father and grandfather had sat through the trial, with his parents seen holding hands as details of their son’s sex life were described to the jury.

Mr Richardson sat motionless as the jury’s four “not guilty” verdicts were read out.

In a statement read outside court, Mr Richardson’s 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.”

Mr Richardson had been accused of raping a woman at his student house while she was “crazy drunk” and unresponsive in March 2014.

The woman, who gave evidence via a videolink, said she had been “very, very intoxicated” on the night of the alleged attack, claiming the next thing she could remember after seeing Mr Richardson in the Klute nightclub was waking up next to him the next morning and being told she was “really bad in bed” because she had been “unresponsive”.

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

Mr Richardson’s defence lawyer, Philippa McAtasney QC, had called the alleged victim a “highly manipulative, dishonest, dangerous young woman”.

She also said Mr Richardson would not have used the phrase quoted by the woman, 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.”

The second alleged victim said she had been groped by Mr Richardson while she lay in bed ill. Her boyfriend had later confronted Mr Richardson in a Facebook message, and the history student had said his recollections of the evening were “hazy at best” but to “please send on any such apologies in advance of me doing so”.

Mr Richardson said he had been in the room where the woman lay ill debating politics with others. He told the jury had had momentarily comforted her by placing his hand on her shoulder and she that she had pulled it to her breast.

The student has been doing voluntary work in Jersey during his suspension from Durham University. It is unclear whether he will return to complete his degree.

Additional reporting by PA

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