IN THE NEWS
FORMER CABBIE FOUND NOT GUILTY OF RAPING FEMALE CUSTOMER IN EAST BELFAST CAR PARK
A former taxi driver was acquitted by a jury of raping a female passenger following a two-week trial at Belfast Crown Court. The jury deliberated for around four hours before returning a not-guilty verdict against Colin Gray on Friday 22 September. The nine men and three woman failed to reach a verdict on a second charge of sexual assault. Mr Gray, 56, from Newtownards, was arrested following an alle- gation that he had taken a female passenger to the car park of a church in east Belfast in the early hours of February 28, 2016. She was 19 at the time, Mr Gray was 49 and worked for Value Cabs. The complainant made the case that, following a night out with a
friend, she got into Mr Gray’s Skoda, and that, after they arrived at her house, he then drove her to a nearby car park where he sexually assaulted then raped her in the back seat of the taxi. Her version of events was com- pletely rejected by Mr Gray, who claimed the sexual activity was consensual and instigated by her. When he gave evidence on his own behalf last month, Mr Gray said the female passenger kissed him when they arrived at her home and that it was she who suggested going “somewhere else”. He accepted there was sexual activity with the woman in his car, but said she instigated it, and totally rejected the claim he raped her. Mr Gray told the jury he refused
her request to have sexual
intercourse as they didn’t have contraception and he was concerned about STIs. Following a day of deliberations, the forewoman of the jury was asked whether they had reached a verdict on the rape charge upon which at least ten of them agreed. She said they had, delivering a not- guilty
verdict. Regarding the
sexual assault charge, the jury failed to reach a verdict. Judge Donna McColgan KC then thanked the jury for their service and discharged them. She then addressed the prosecuting barrister and said the Crown had until the following Wednesday to make a decision regarding the sexual assault charge.
PHTM OCTOBER 2023
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