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Greenham man is cleared of raping girl




Unanimous verdict by jury

JURORS have unanimously cleared a man of raping a 15-year-old girl.

During the trial at Reading Crown Court the alleged victim had wept as her account was branded “lies and nonsense” by the defence.

As reported by the Newbury Weekly News, the girl, who was aged 15 at the time of the alleged incident, claimed she was raped in a field by Jake Hatter, a former pupil of St Bartholomew’s School in Newbury.

But she sobbed repeatedly as Aisling Byrnes, for Mr Hatter, suggested that she, in fact, was the seductress and insisted: “You lied about what happened between you and Jake.

“You lied to your family; you lied to [your boyfriend] and you lied to the police. You not only consented to it – you initiated it, didn’t you?”

Mr Hatter, now aged 21 and who lives at Peckmoor Drive, Greenham, was cleared of raping her in November 2014.

The jury returned the verdict on Thursday, January 12, after deliberating for three hours and 58 minutes.

He was also cleared of engaging in sexual activity with a child.

Pick up a copy of the NWN next Thursday for the full story.



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