‘I REGRET THAT EVENING’

STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF STUART OLDING BY SOLICITOR PAUL DOUGAN I AM very relieved that the jury has accepted my explanation as to what occurred.

I want to acknowledge publicly that though I committed no criminal offence on the evening of the 28th of June 2016, I regret deeply the events of that evening.

I want to acknowledge that the complainant came to court and gave evidence about her perception of those events.

I am sorry for the hurt that was caused to the complainant. It was never my intention to cause any upset to anyone on that night.

I don’t agree with her perception of events, and I maintain that everything that happened that evening was consensual.

I have consistently told the truth to the police and the court when asked to account for my conduct.

The Stuart Olding who has been portrayed over the past nine weeks in this trial is not the real Stuart Olding.

I am fiercely proud to represent my province and my country. I have worked very hard to achieve those goals.

I hope to be able to prove myself going forward in all aspects of my life.

I would like to thank my legal team for their hard work and their belief in me throughout.

And finally, to my family, thank you all for standing by me from the beginning.

Stuart Olding: Relieved at the jury’s decision