Coronation Street's William Roache has been found not guilty by a jury at Preston Crown Court of two counts of rape and four counts of indecent assault. In a statement he told reporters: "I think we should all be much kinder to ourselves".
William Roache's case was treated the same as any other and the "allegations and evidence mattered and nothing else", the Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West said.
The Coronation Street actor, 81, was cleared of two counts of rape and four counts of indecent assault at Preston Crown Court today.
“We have a duty to those who make complaints of serious offences to listen to the allegations, and assess the evidence against the same evidential standards we use for all criminal cases, no matter who makes the complaint, or who the complaint is against," Nazir Afzal said.
“This case was treated like any other - what mattered were the allegations and the evidence and nothing else, and we fully respect the decisions of the jury and thank them for their careful deliberation.”
The Crown Prosecution Service insisted William Roache's celebrity status did not affect their decision to put him on trial.
Coronation Street actor William Roache said there were "no winners" after he was cleared of a string of sexual offences today.
The Coronation Street actor famous for playing Ken Barlow has been cleared of a string of allegations of historic sexual offences.