Ched Evans refers to rape conviction as ‘act of infidelity’

Posted Thursday, October 23, 2014 by theguardian.com

Ched Evans refers to rape conviction as ‘act of infidelity’
Ched Evans’ video statement apologising for his ‘incredibly foolish decision’ in May 2011

Footballer and convicted rapist Ched Evans released a video statement days after walking free from prison, expressing regret for what he described as an “act of infidelity” against his girlfriend.

In a short clip posted on a website established to campaign for his innocence, Evans, 25, continued to insist that the woman he was convicted of attacking had consented to sex.

The former Sheffield United player used the statement to plead for a chance to return to football, saying: “If that is possible I will do so with humility, having learned a very painful lesson.

"I don’t believe I have a given right to play again, but for any club to take me on, I have learned a valuable lesson and know that over time I can prove myself to be a positive influence, not just on the pitch but also in the community.”

Evans was Sheffield United’s leading goalscorer when he was convicted in April 2012 of raping a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room in north Wales, after a jury found she was too drunk to consent to sex.

The footballer, who was released from Wymott prison in Lancashire on Saturday after serving half of his five-year sentence, was filmed sitting next to his girlfriend Natasha Massey, who stood by him despite his conviction and to whom, he said: “I will be forever grateful.”

His “infidelity” had been “an incredibly foolish decision”, Evans said, but the footballer insisted he was “determined to continue the fight to clear my name”.

Though he was convicted unanimously by a jury and denied leave to appeal the conviction, Evans enjoys the backing of a well funded campaign, largely bankrolled by his girlfriend’s wealthy father, Karl Massey, that is seeking to have his conviction quashed.

Earlier this year, a team of private investigators and lawyers submitted a dossier to the criminal cases review commission seeking to have the case referred back to the court of appeal. That application, said Evans, “seeks to demonstrate that the acts I engaged in on that night were consensual in nature and not rape”.

His victim, by contrast, was forced to flee her home and was given a new identity after she was repeatedly named on social media by supporters of the footballer, a number of whom were convicted. There were reports this week that her new identity had also been exposed.

The footballer’s campaign website, which is headed with the statement, “Ched Evans was wrongly convicted of rape on 20 April 2012” refers to his victim as “the complainant” and lays out his side of the case in detail. It contains CCTV video of the victim, her face concealed, arriving at the hotel where the attack took place in a bid to support his argument that she had consented to sex.

North Wales police confirmed this week that it was looking into complaints about the website.

Though the footballer’s contract lapsed at the end of the 2011-2012 season, the club stayed in close contact with Evans while he was in prison, and there has been speculation that it will seek to re-sign the player, prompting outrage from anti-rape campaigners and others.

Katie Russell, for Rape Crisis England and Wales, said: “There is nothing that really constitutes news in the video statement released online by a convicted rapist this evening.

"In it he does not express remorse for his crime, accept responsibility for it, or apologise to his victim.

"We continue to urge football clubs and authorities to consider carefully their responsibility towards sexual violence survivors, many tens of thousands of whom will inevitably be among its followers.

"As the well-funded publicity campaign behind Ched Evans continues, we appeal to the media not to forget the woman at the heart of this story and to show respect and consideration for her and for all survivors of sexual violence.”