Swimmer is cleared of student rape after retrial

A TOP swimmer accused of raping a teenager walked free yesterday after a court heard of ‘glaring inconsistencies’ in his accuser’s testimony.

Jurors took just two hours to unanimously clear 24-year-old Otto Putland, pictured, who was accused of forcing himself on the 19-year-old woman after a night out in Cardiff in July 2015.

She had already had consensual sex with Team GB swimmer Ieuan Lloyd that night. The woman, who cannot be named, claimed she then refused sex when Mr Putland began kissing her.

But Christopher Rees, defending, told jurors there had been ‘glaring inconsistencies’ in what the woman told people at various times about the night, and that she had willingly consented to sex with Mr Putland, who represented Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Initially, he faced two counts of rape but was cleared of one count following a trial in September last year.

The original jury failed to reach a verdict on the other count of rape relating to the same woman and the prosecution decided to proceed with a retrial at Cardiff Crown Court.

Mr Rees said: ‘She had the opportunity to say “no” and she did not say anything. She did not stop it. She did not call out to Ieuan Lloyd. She did not call out to anyone at all.

‘From that you can infer that she did consent, or may have consented.’

He added: ‘Bad sex is not rape. Sex after one party has persuaded the other to have sex consensually is not rape. Regretted sex is not rape.’

After the verdict, Mr Putland of Dinedor, near Hereford, said: ‘I am obviously very relieved by the verdict and very glad to have been vindicated but I can’t say I am elated. This has been going on for 18 months and the experience has been too horrendous, not just for me, but my family and especially for my mum.

‘I have been very lucky to have such a loving and supportive family and good friends, and I am sorry for what they have been through. I hope now we can all rebuild our lives and try to move forward. ’

Mr Putland’s accuser, a student, saw a doctor two days after she had sex with him, but did not tell police about the incident until 16 months later.