Star Ed cleared over sex charges
Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick has spoken for the first time of his relief after three sex assault cases against him were dropped.
In his first public appearance since he was cleared, the British actor said “I will be back to work very soon.”
Emerging from a restaurant in West Hollywood he said: “I’m delighted that everybody got it right.”
The Los Angeles District Attorney said they would not pursue the cases against the star. There was “insufficient evidence” for a prosecution to go ahead, investigators said.
The star, 30, strongly denied the “unverified and provably untrue” allegations when two women accused him of rape last November.
Prosecutors said witnesses identified by the first two alleged victims were “not able to provide information that would enable the prosecution to prove either incident beyond a reasonable doubt”.
They said they were unable to contact the third alleged victim.
Prosecutors said other women had alleged unwanted touching against the actor, but that these claims fell outside the statute of limitations.
After the allegations emerged, the BBC cut Westwick out of its Agatha Christie drama Ordeal by Innocence and “paused” filming on the second series of BBC Two comedy White Gold.