GAZZA IN THE CLEAR
... but train kiss verdict labelled a ‘green light for gropers’
WoMen’S rights campaigners reacted with fury last night after Paul Gascoigne was cleared of sexually assaulting a woman on a train.
The former footballer admitted he ‘forcefully and sloppily’ kissed the passenger for ‘two to three seconds’ to boost her confidence.
But the 52-year-old successfully argued that it was not sexual and was acquitted by a jury. Campaigners last night called the defence a ‘ready-made excuse’ for men accused of sexual crimes.
Prosecutors also argued that defendants had only to claim there was no sexual motivation in order to avoid a conviction.
Rebecca hitchen, of the end Violence Against Women Coalition, said: ‘This case tells a story of how men can feel entitled to forcibly kiss women without their consent, say it wasn’t sexual and as a result face no accountability.
‘This verdict sends a clear message to men that harass, grope and sexually assault women in public spaces that there is a ready-made excuse at hand.’ Richinda Taylor, of eva Women’s Aid, added: ‘It sends an appalling and potentially dangerous message out. Yet again the emphasis is placed on the perpetrator’s motive, not on how the behaviour is received by the victim.’
Cheers were heard from the packed public gallery as the verdict was delivered at Teesside Crown Court yesterday.
Jurors took just under three hours to clear the former england midfielder of sexual assault. he was also found not guilty of a lesser charge of common assault. The trial heard how Gascoigne kissed the woman on a crowded Cross Country train at Darlington, County Durham, on August 20 last year.
The former Spurs star had wanted to give her a ‘confidence boost’ after hearing jibes about her being ‘fat and ugly’.
Michelle heeley QC, defending, said Gascoigne’s actions were ‘naive’ and likened it to celebrating on the pitch. ‘It can be when you scored the greatest goal england has ever seen against Scotland in euro ’96,’ she said. The jury were shown photos of the ex-footballer kissing female fans and celebrities, including Wayne Rooney and Princess Diana.
Because Gascoigne’s intention was innocent the kiss was not a sexual assault – regardless of the victim’s view, said Miss heeley. William Mousley QC, prosecuting, said the circumstances around the assault were sexual no matter what the former footballer intended. he added: ‘All that person has to say is, “I did not intend it to be sexual”.’
Before he left the dock a tearful Gascoigne thanked his dentist. The remark was a reference to the fact he had removed his false teeth during the trial to prove he slurred his words when they were out – and not because he was drunk.
The Crown Prosecution Service last night said the decision to take the case to court was ‘in the public interest’.