All sexual abuse charges lodged against folk songwriter Roy Harper have been dropped.
The singer was accused of two charges of indecent assault, one in the mid 70s and one in 1980. The case has taken three years to progress, with all charges against Roy Harper now being dropped. (via NME)
Roy Harper said: "I have now been acquitted on all the charges that were brought. This case should never have gone as far as this, or taken so long to resolve. The psychological and personal cost to my wife and myself has been enormous and the financial cost hugely unfair. I lost my livelihood and I spent my savings… and more, on my defence."
The singer added: "I realise these are difficult issues at this time in this society, and I thank my lawyers for standing by me and working so hard to show the truth. Despite coming out of this without a blemish on my name, I cannot recoup my costs and that’s left me incredibly angry."
"I’m now going to restart my working life where I left off nearly three years ago. I’d like to thank everyone who’s continued to support me. Thank you, all of you."
The Crown Prosecution Service added: "We keep all our cases under constant review and in this case it was decided that based on the strength of the evidence there is no longer a realistic prospect of a conviction. We will be meeting with the complainant and her family in order to fully explain our decision."
