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Artist News Legal
Roy Harper found not guilty of two charges of indecent assault, though jury can’t decide on other allegations
By Chris Cooke | Published on Monday 9 February 2015
Folk musician Roy Harper was last week cleared of two counts of indecent assault, but the jury hearing the case could not reach verdicts on five other charges, a conclusion that could result in a retrial.
As previously reported, Harper was arrested in 2013 and charged with indecently assaulting a sixteen year old girl in 1980 and sexually abusing an eleven year old girl a number of times between 1975 and 1977. He denied all the charges.
He was last week acquitted of the charge relating to the alleged 1980 incident, but on the allegations stemming from the 1970s the jury reached a decision on just one of six charges, one of indecent assault. Jurors could not agree on two further counts of indecent assault, two of indecency with a child, and one of having sex with a child.
Prosecutors now have two weeks to decide whether or not to seek a retrial on the remaining charges.
