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| Former Today boss Eddy Shah cleared of schoolgirl rape | Former Today boss Eddy Shah cleared of schoolgirl rape |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Former UK newspaper boss Eddy Shah has been found not guilty of raping a schoolgirl. | Former UK newspaper boss Eddy Shah has been found not guilty of raping a schoolgirl. |
| Mr Shah, 69, who founded the Today newspaper, denied six counts of rape. He had told the Old Bailey he had "never touched" the teenage girl. | Mr Shah, 69, who founded the Today newspaper, denied six counts of rape. He had told the Old Bailey he had "never touched" the teenage girl. |
| Former escort Susan Davies, 53, of Swanley, Kent, was cleared of aiding and abetting rape, indecent assault and cruelty to a person under 16. | Former escort Susan Davies, 53, of Swanley, Kent, was cleared of aiding and abetting rape, indecent assault and cruelty to a person under 16. |
| Anthony Pallant, 53, of West Malling, Kent, was cleared of raping the girl. | Anthony Pallant, 53, of West Malling, Kent, was cleared of raping the girl. |
| The jury cleared Mr Shah, of Chippenham, Wiltshire, after almost 18 hours of deliberations. | The jury cleared Mr Shah, of Chippenham, Wiltshire, after almost 18 hours of deliberations. |
| Ms Davies was cleared of forcing the complainant, now in her early 30s, to have threesomes with her and Mr Shah. | Ms Davies was cleared of forcing the complainant, now in her early 30s, to have threesomes with her and Mr Shah. |
| As the verdicts were read out, Mr Shah said "thank you" to the jury and appeared to fight back tears. | |
| His wife, Jennifer White Shah, was present in court and wept after hearing that her husband had been cleared. | His wife, Jennifer White Shah, was present in court and wept after hearing that her husband had been cleared. |
| Blackmail fear | |
| The trial previously heard that Mr Shah paid for sex with co-defendant Mrs Davies, who was accused of procuring the girl. | The trial previously heard that Mr Shah paid for sex with co-defendant Mrs Davies, who was accused of procuring the girl. |
| Mr Shah maintained he met the girl twice in hotels while she was accompanied by Ms Davies but never had sex with her. | |
| The jury heard Ms Davies describe how she had a relationship with Mr Shah for several years, but claimed that it never felt like she was working as a prostitute. | |
| Mr Shah would pay her between £100 and £200 for sex and bought her gifts such as a Pierre Cardin watch, the court heard. | |
| Ms Davies said Mr Shah was a "gentleman" and she had taken the girl twice to meet him because she thought he could have a positive influence on her life by talking to her. | |
| "With hindsight it was a stupid decision," she said. | |
| The businessman had said his biggest concern when the allegations came to light was having to admit to his wife he had used a prostitute. | The businessman had said his biggest concern when the allegations came to light was having to admit to his wife he had used a prostitute. |
| He told the court: "I always thought it was a case of blackmail or something." | He told the court: "I always thought it was a case of blackmail or something." |
| Businessman Mr Pallant was also cleared of indecent assault. | Businessman Mr Pallant was also cleared of indecent assault. |