So sorry I upset girl says star cleared in rape case

A RUGBY star whose rape acquittal sparked mass protests has apologised for leaving his accuser ‘distressed’ and for sending ‘degrading’ messages boasting of his sexual exploits.

Paddy Jackson, 26, and teammate Stuart Olding, 25, had stood trial accused of raping the 19-year-old at a house party in Belfast after a night out in June 2016.

During the nine-week trial, the jury heard the men had made vulgar boasts in WhatsApp messages after the incident. Mr Olding wrote: ‘We are all top sh***ers,’ and later boasted: ‘It was like a merry-go-round at a carnival.’

After they were found not guilty by a jury following less than four hours of deliberations, thousands protested in Belfast and Dublin, with banners that read: ‘I believe her.’

The two men, who both play for Ireland and Ulster, had always denied rape, saying the sexual activity had been consensual.

But Mr Jackson yesterday issued a statement saying: ‘I am ashamed that a young woman who was a visitor to my home left in a distressed state. This was never my intention and I will always regret the events of that evening. I am also truly sorry for engaging in a WhatsApp group chat which was degrading and offensive and I apologise unreservedly for this. The criticism of my behaviour is fully justified and I know I have betrayed the values of my family and those of the wider public.’

Mr Jackson and Mr Olding have both expressed a desire to return to rugby, but they are suspended pending the outcome of a review into their conduct by Ulster Rugby and the Irish Rugby Football Union.

After the pair were acquitted at Belfast Crown Court last week, Mr Olding also said he regretted his involvement.

The stars had gone home with a group of women after a night out in the VIP section of Ollie’s nightclub in Belfast.

Giving evidence from behind a screen over the course of eight days, the accuser, now aged 21, had claimed she was attacked in a bedroom at Mr Jackson’s home.

She claimed she froze and felt ‘numb’ when he pulled down her trousers, alleging he raped her before Mr Olding walked in and forced her to perform a sex act on him at the same time.

But jurors unanimously found the men not guilty on all charges.

‘I have betrayed the values of my family’