BGT singer cleared over two rape charges

A Britain's Got Talent (BGT) finalist has been cleared of raping 2 women.

Andrew Johnston, 30, from Carlisle, was charged with raping 1 pistillate and raping and sexually assaulting different but said some women had told a "pack of lies".

Mr Johnston, who competed arsenic a vocalist connected the ITV endowment amusement successful 2008, told Southwark Crown Court helium had "never sung a note" since the allegations were made against him.

A assemblage of 9 women and 3 men cleared him of each the charges.

As the not blameworthy verdicts were work out, Mr Johnston, wearing a grey suit, held his caput successful his hands and sobbed.

The alleged offences happened a fig of years aft helium changeable to fame arsenic a choirboy connected the show, the tribunal heard.

Prosecuting, Maryam Syed KC, said the vocalist had been "engaging successful consensual intersexual activity" with 1 woman, but helium allegedly removed his condom, and she "repeatedly told Mr Johnston to stop" but helium did not.

The different pistillate told constabulary she engaged successful consensual enactment with the vocalist and asked him to usage a condom, the tribunal heard.

The pistillate said she started to consciousness his hands astir her cervix and "no substance however galore times she removed them", helium kept putting his hands backmost astir her throat, Ms Syed said.

It was alleged helium past stopped and removed the condom, past carried connected with the sex.

Mr Johnston described his lovemaking arsenic "fast, energetic, possibly a spot passionate" but said helium was ne'er aggressive, ever utilized a condom and that the enactment was consensual.

He antecedently told the jury: "I did not rape those 2 girls."

Ms Syed enactment it to Mr Johnston that it is his lawsuit that these 2 women had stood successful the witnesser container "and told this assemblage a battalion of lies".

The singer, who landed a lucrative grounds woody with Simon Cowell, released an medium that went to fig 4 successful the UK charts and appeared connected circuit with different Britain's Got Talent finalists.