A jury has been unable to reach a verdict in the rape trial of York community campaigner Gordon Campbell-Thomas.
After deliberating for just over five-and-a-half hours, the jury at York Crown Court today told judge Simon Hickey they couldn’t reach unanimous nor majority verdicts on two allegations of rape.
The judge duly discharged them from their duties in the case. He said he would now invite the prosecution to decide whether they wanted a re-trial of the case.
The prosecution now has seven days to decide whether it will be seeking a re-trial.
Mr Campbell-Thomas, 72, a former York City Council election candidate and founder member of the St Nicks Nature Reserve in York, was accused of raping a woman in her 20s at his flat on the outskirts of the city.
He insisted that he and the woman had consensual sex after drinking three bottles of wine together and watching a movie.
The alleged victim, who is from York but can’t be named for legal reasons, claimed she didn’t consent to sex and that Mr Campbell-Thomas raped her twice on the same night.
But Mr Campbell-Thomas, who denied both allegations, claimed they had started kissing and then had sex “and that was it”.
He said both he and the woman were both “a little bit drunk”.
Prosecutor Brian Russell said the alleged incidents occurred either late at night on November 14, 2020, or in the early hours of the following morning.
The judge told Mr Campbell-Smith he could leave the dock and that he didn’t have to attend next week’s court hearing when the prosecution will decide whether to go for a re-trial.
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