Paul Price, 53, was accused of attacking the woman twice during a night out with his wife and her husband. But he insisted she consented to sex on both occasions.<\/p>\n
Outside court, fencing contractor Mr Price branded the allegations \u201cdespicable\u201d<\/p>\n
He also questioned why defendants in sex crime trials should be publicly named when the complainant can never be identified.<\/p>\n
Mr Price hugged wife Amy and daughter Sophie, 27, before heading off for a celebration drink.<\/p>\n
His barrister Abigail Penny said outside court: \u201cMr Price would like to thank the jury for seeing the truth in this case.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would like to tell you that he is innocent of these despicable allegations and he is concerned that his name has been published while the complainant enjoys anonymity.<\/p>\n
Jurors were told Mr Price followed the woman on a beach at Worthing, West Sussex, after she complained of feeling unwell.<\/p>\n
She claimed he pushed her against a tree and raped her. The woman said she flagged down a van before getting into a taxi with Mr Price, Chichester Crown Court heard.<\/p>\n
He allegedly raped her for a second time in woodland near his home. Mr Price denied attacking the woman in March last year and insisted she consented to sex on both occasions.<\/p>\n
He told police: \u201cWe were just having fun and a laugh and then we started having a kiss and a cuddle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she says, \u2018I haven\u2019t had sex for a year\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cHands were wandering, not just on my part but on her part as well. She wanted it as much as I wanted it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Price, of Angmering, West Sussex, clenched his fists and slumped into his seat as he was cleared.<\/p>\n
Dozens of friends and family cheered from the public gallery as Judge Christine Henson, QC, told him he was free to go. During the trial, jurors heard a glowing tribute to Mr Price from stepdaughter Katie, 38.<\/p>\n
In a statement she said: \u201cHe is always supportive in all situations and always puts us family first.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough he is not my biological dad, he took me and my brother on from a young age and I regard him as my dad. I know he is there for me for everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn fact you can\u2019t keep people away \u2013 he is a people person.\u201d Katie Price did not attend court as she feared her presence would spark a \u201cmedia circus\u201d.<\/p>\n
His case will be seen by legal experts as adding weight to calls for legislation to give sex crime suspects the same anonymity as complainants.<\/p>\n
Katie did not attend court as she believed it would cause a ‘media circus’<\/p>\n
Many senior legal figures believe the measure is necessary to create a \u201clevel playing field\u201d between accused and accuser.<\/p>\n
But others fear it would infringe too far on the basic principle of open justice.<\/p>\n
Questioned by Ms Penny, the woman denied being an attention seeker who planned to sell her story.<\/p>\n
She sobbed as she said: \u201cI didn\u2019t put up a fight. I thought the best and safest thing was to get home to my husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also accused Mr Price of being a \u201csex addict\u201d \u2013 an allegation he dismissed as \u201ctotally untrue.\u201d<\/p>\n
By JOHN TWOMEY \u00a0Source:\u00a0Express.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"