Rapper Slowthai weeps in court as he's cleared of raping two women at house party
16 December 2024, 12:16 | Updated: 16 December 2024, 12:36
Rapper Slowthai has been cleared of raping two women at a house party.
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The Grammy-nominated artist, real name Tyron Frampton, and his co-accused Alex Blake-Walker were both cleared at Oxford Crown Court on Monday of three joint charges of rape against two women.
Frampton, 29, wept in court as the verdict came in. Blake-Walker, 27, was also cleared of an additional sexual assault charge.
The jury returned the verdicts following a two-week trial during which it was alleged the two defendants assaulted two women in the early hours of September 8, 2021.
Judge Ian Pringle KC told the court this case has "raised a lot of high feelings".
Frampton had been removed from Glastonbury, Leeds and Reading festival line-ups after being accused of the assaults.
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He shares a 10-month-old daughter with singer Anne-Marie.
Frampton had performed at The Bullingdon music venue in Oxford on the evening of September 7 2021 when they met the two complainants, one of whom was described during the trial as a "huge fan" of Slowthai.
The two complainants joined Frampton on his tour bus before going to a friend’s house with the rapper.
Frampton, alongside Blake-Walker, then went on the roof of the property with the complainants, where the women claimed to be raped.
Frampton and Blake-Walker, of Wallbutton Road both agreed that sexual activity took place with the complainants on the night of the alleged assaults, but told the court that it was consensual.
In his evidence to the jury, the rapper said the allegations brought up against him were "just not true" and that the women were "lying".
Frampton accepted that he and Blake-Walker had "fist-bumped" at the time but denied this was encouraging each other.
