Rapper Slowthai burst into tears in court today as he was cleared of raping two women at a house party.
Jurors came back after more than ten hours of deliberation to return not guilty verdicts on three joint counts of rape against the 29-year-old Grammy-nominated musician, whose real name is Tyron Frampton, and his co-accused Alex Blake-Walker.
As reported by the Mirror, Blake-Walker, 27, has also been cleared of one count of sexual assault. The jury returned the verdicts following a two-week trial at Oxford Crown Court during which it was alleged the two defendants assaulted two women in the early hours of September 8, 2021.
The musician burst into tears in the dock as jurors cleared him of three counts of rape. Judge Ian Pringle KC told the court this case has “raised a lot of high feelings” and relatives and friends of the accused, including Frampton’s popstar wife Anne-Marie, sighed in relief as the verdicts were read out.
Frampton and Blake-Walker stood trial last month where the men denied three joint charges of rape against two women, while Blake-Walker was also charged with sexual assault.
Judge Ian Pringle KC summed up the case on Thursday morning after a two-week trial, before he asked jurors to retire and deliberate. Jurors heard during the trial that Frampton, 29, had performed at The Bullingdon music venue in Oxford on the evening of September 7 2021.
Following the gig, the two complainants went to Frampton’s tour bus before heading to their friend’s house for a party – with Frampton and Blake-Walker joining the group. Frampton, Blake-Walker, and the two complainants then went on to the roof of the property, where it is claimed that the rapes took place.
The prosecution alleged Blake-Walker raped the first complainant while being encouraged by Frampton, and that Frampton twice raped the second complainant while being encouraged by Blake-Walker. Frampton and Blake-Walker agree that sexual activity took place with the complainants on the night of the alleged assaults, but say it was consensual. During his evidence, Frampton accepted that he and Blake-Walker had “fist-bumped” at the time but denied this was encouraging each other.
Frampton, more commonly known by his stage name Slowthai, shot to fame in 2019 with his raw and gritty instrumentals coupled with politically charged lyrics, particularly those centred around Brexit and Theresa May’s stint as British prime minister. Slowthai secured fourth place in the BBC Sound of 2019 and later that year released his debut studio album, Nothing Great About Britain.
The album was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize; however, Slowthai’s performance at the 2019 Mercury Prize ceremony sparked controversy when he brandished a fake severed head of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on stage. In the following years, he dropped his second and third studio albums, Tyron (2021) and Ugly (2023).
Frampton welcomed his first child into the world in June 2021. He married British popstar Anne-Marie in July 2022 and became a father for the second time in February this year when the Unhealthy singer gave birth to their daughter.
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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