Rapper Slowthai cleared of raping two women during house party
Rapper Slowthai has broken down in court after being cleared of raping two women at a house party following one of his gigs in Oxford three years ago.
The 29-year-old, whose real name is Tyron Frampton, stood trial at Oxford Crown Court alongside his friend Alex Blake-Walker, 27.
Both were cleared of three joint charges of rape against two women, and Blake-Walker was also cleared of an additional charge of sexual assault against the second complainant.
The jury came back with their verdicts after more than 10 hours of deliberation, following a two-week trial in which it was alleged the two defendants assaulted two women in the early hours of 8 September 2021.
The Grammy-nominated rapper burst into tears as jurors delivered their verdicts, while his wife, singer Anne-Marie, sighed in relief.
Judge Ian Pringle KC acknowledged the level of emotion in the courtroom, telling the court this case has “raised a lot of high feelings”.
WARNING: Details some readers may find upsetting
Frampton had performed at The Bullingdon music venue in the city on the evening of 7 September 2021, where he met the two complainants, one of whom the court had heard was a “huge fan” of his.
After the show, the complainants had returned to Frampton’s tour bus, before heading to a friend’s house party, accompanied by Frampton and Blake-Walker.
It was at this house party the women had alleged they were raped on an outside roof.
Frampton left court with his wife Anne-Marie, and declined to comment on the verdicts. Pic: PA
Frampton and Blake-Walker both agreed that sexual activity took place with the complainants on the night of the alleged assaults, but said it was consensual.
In his evidence to the jury, the rapper said the allegations brought up against him were “just not true” and that the women were “lying”.
Frampton accepted that he and Blake-Walker had “fist-bumped” at the time but denied this was encouraging each other.
The Northampton-born performer, who was nominated for a Grammy in 2021 and a Mercury prize in 2019, was removed from the Glastonbury, Leeds and Reading festival line-up after being charged last year.
The court had previously heard that a backlog of cases had caused a delay between Frampton’s arrest and charge, which came when he was in New York for a magazine shoot.
Both Frampton and Blake-Walker walked free from the dock after the judge told them they were able to go. Frampton, who walked from the court with his wife, declined to comment on the verdicts.
Frampton married Anne-Marie in 2022 in Las Vegas. The couple have a 10-month-old daughter. He also has a two-year-old son with his ex-partner, Russian singer and model Katya Kischuk.
British drama Adolescence has seen its lead stars all nominated for Golden Globe awards.
The drama, starring Stephen Graham, depicts the aftermath of the stabbing of a teenage girl, as a 13-year-old boy from her school is arrested for her murder. It was one of the most talked-about shows of the year.
Young Owen Cooper is up for best supporting actor. Pic:Netflix
Graham, along with Owen Cooper, Ashley Walters and Erin Doherty are all up for gongs. It follows a host of wins at the Emmys in September.
Receiving five nominations in total, the Netflix limited series was only beaten by HBO’s White Lotus, which got six nods, coming top in the TV category.
Cynthia Erivo was nominated for her role in the Wicked sequel, Wicked For Good, while British stars Gary Oldman, Helen Mirren and Aimee Lou Wood also got recognition for their roles in Slow Horses, Mobland and The White Lotus, respectively.
Mirren will also be awarded one of the Globe’s two lifetime achievement awards, the Cecil B DeMille Award, announced a few days before the ceremony in the New Year.
Emily Blunt picked up a surprise nomination for her role in The Smashing Machine, opposite Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – who also got a nod for the sports biopic.
Tessa Thompson was recognised for her role in Hedda, a modern re-telling of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play.
Irish stars Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley were both nominated for Hamnet, the adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s book about William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes. The movie isn’t out in the UK until January.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo at the London premiere for Wicked: For Good
Ryan Coogler (L) and Michael B Jordan at the Sinners premiere. Pic: AP
Films, TV – and podcasts
Unlike other awards, the Globes cover both TV and film and are split by genre, falling into either the drama or comedy and musical category – meaning a wealth of nominees are in the running.
This year, there are 28 categories.
In the film category, One Battle After Another, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, led the nominations with nine, followed by Norwegian comedy-drama Sentimental Value with eight, and vampire horror Sinners with seven.
Leonardo DiCaprio in a scene from One Battle After Another.
Pic: Warner Bros/AP
KPop Demon Hunters continued its world domination with three nominations – best animated film, cinematic and box office achievement and original song – making an Oscar nod further down the line look more and more likely.
New to this year’s nominations is a category for podcasts. Selected from a long list of the 25 most-listened to shows, Good Hang With Amy Poehler, Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard and Call Her Daddy were among the casts that made the cut.
Sarah Jessica Parker will be honoured with the Carol Burnett Award.
Now in comeback mode, the Globes had previously faced criticism over a lack of diversity in the organisation, which led to the event being held behind closed doors in 2022.
The 83rd Golden Globes ceremony will take place in LA on 11 January, and will be hosted by US comedian Nikki Glaser for the second year running.
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