Calum Best has addressed a court's decision to clear him of sexual assault allegations.
The 42-year-old son of late footballer George Best was told on Wednesday he had been acquitted after a one-day trial just over a week ago at a court in Majorca. The three trial judges ruled Spanish state prosecutors had not done enough to convince them Calum had forced his alleged victim to put her hand down his shorts and onto his penis as she claimed in her court testimony.
They pointed to the lack of "external corroboration" of the tourist's version of events and questioned why a female friend with her at the time and a security guard she said she had sought help from were not called to give evidence. Throughout the trial, Calum protested his innocence. He faced up to three years in prison if he had been found guilty.
Calum has thanked his fans for their ongoing support (Instagram)
The son of George and Angie Best was acquitted of sexual assault allegations (Joan Llado / GTres / SplashNews.com)Now, he has commented on the allegations for the first time and thanked fans for their continued support. In view of his one million Instagram followers, he shared a screenshot of the verdict which read: "But he learned today he had been cleared of any wrongdoing. The three trial judges' decision to acquit him is understood to have been unanimous."
Callum wrote: "The truth prevails, I have been acquitted and won my case, thank you for all your messages of support." Calum, who appeared on Celebrity Big Brother with his mum Angie was arrested late on April 22 2022 after leaving the O Beach club in the Ibizan party resort of San Antonio.
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He was held in custody for around a day before being released but was told he would continue to be investigated. He was charged after a lengthy behind-closed-doors probe and told to report for trial last week at the Audiencia Provincial court in the Majorcan capital Palma.
The judges reached a unanimous decision (Joan Llado / GTres / SplashNews.com)His female accuser gave evidence via video link from the UK. She claimed Calum, the current chairman of Dorking Wanderers FC women's team, sexually assaulted her by putting her hands down his shorts and onto his penis after telling her: "I've got something for you, close your eyes."
Referring to the security guard she said she raised the alarm with at O Beach Club, the tourist claimed: "He asked if he was one of Wayne Lineker's friends and when I said 'yes' he laughed, said this happens all the time and told me he wasn't going to call police." Meanwhile, Calum's lawyer, Jaime Campaner stated that the judges should acquit him after he protested his innocence and travelled to the Spanish resort to "clear his name".
In their acquittal decision, the judges highlighted the lack of "external corroboration" of the female tourist's version of events, confirming the CCTV images available had not offered information backing her claims. They said in their six-page written ruling: "There is no other information from external sources of evidence that supports the complainant's testimony, and the court finds it relevant that her friend, who was with her in the initial moments of the first contact with the accused and is said to have accompanied her to see a security guard, did not appear at trial. The security guard has not been cited as a witness either."
They added: "The friend was identified in the police report and the security guard would have been easily identifiable. When evidence is available that could have been used to support a testimony and it is not used in court without justifying the impossibility of doing so, a situation of objective doubt is created. In this case, the prosecution’s evidence has not been sufficient to undermine the right to the presumption of innocence."
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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