Former special adviser to Michael Fallon cleared of sexual assault
2 min read
A former special adviser to ex-Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has been acquitted of sexual assault.
Richard Holden was accused of groping a woman under her skirt in London in December 2016, but was found not guilty of the accusations at Southwark Crown Court yesterday.
The jury returned a unanimous verdict after debating for less than an hour, with Judge Deborah Taylor adding that “the defendant leaves the court without a stain on his character."
Thirty-three-year-old Mr Holden, who was employed as one of Sir Michael’s media advisers until early last year was forced to resign from his role following the alleged incident.
Following his acquittal, he accused the police and Crown Prosecution Service of a “cruel public shaming” and immediately took to Twitter to vent his frustrations.
He tweeted: “Police investigation appalling. They consistently failed to pursue ANY reasonable line of inquiry that wasn’t in line with the initial allegation. Disclosure was delayed and incomplete throughout, inc denying evidence the police had collected and knew existed”.
He later released a full statement which called for a change in policy when investigating alleged sexual crimes, encouraging the police and CPS to “use the significant resources at their disposal to get justice rather than pursuing spurious allegations”.
“The police and CPS have created a victim of me, and victims of my close friends and family," the statement read. "I desperately hope the assurances I received following the outcome of this case, that I would again be able to serve the country I love, and the party of which I have been a member of for almost 20 years, will be made good on."
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