Former Britain’s Got Talent star Andrew Johnston, 30, was studying at the Royal Academy of Music when he allegedly raped two women in months apart, a court heard
A former star of Britain’s Got Talent, Andrew Johnston, 30, is accused of raping two women within months of each other. The court was informed that the alleged incidents occurred while Johnston was studying at the Royal Academy of Music.
The ex-choirboy, who came second in Britain’s Got Talent at the age of 13, later secured a £1million recording contract with Simon Cowell’s Syco Music. It was heard in court that Johnston allegedly choked his victims during sex and refused to use a condom. Johnston denies two charges of rape and one of sexual assault.
Dressed in a black suit, the former singer, who was pursuing a two-year diploma in opera at the esteemed music college, listened as prosecutor Maryam Syed presented her case. Syed informed the court: “Mr Johnston competed as a singer in the television programme Britain’s Got Talent, and he did quite well in that programme.
“At the time of the allegations Mr Johnston was a student at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London. Mr Johnston was competing a two year diploma in opera.”, reports the Mirror.
Detailing the first alleged incident, the prosecutor stated: “The defendant removed the condom he had been wearing and the complainant noticed the change in sensation.
“She repeatedly told Mr Johnston to stop having sex with her but he made no attempt to withdraw his penis. The complainant then described to police that Mr Johnston then, she says, placed one hand on her neck and the other was pinning her down.
“She repeatedly told Mr Johnston on multiple occasions to stop, she managed to free her hands and slam them onto her chest. She told police that she began panicking and he, Mr Johnston, was not listening to her.”
The prosecutor continued: “She then goes on to describe, as you will see that the defendant Mr Johnston became more forceful, slamming the headboard into the wall.”
Syed addressed the court stating the complainant “explained to Johnston from the outset” about her discomfort with certain sexual acts owing to traumatic past experiences. “She specifically said things like hands around the throat.”
The court was also informed by Syed that Johnston allegedly made inappropriate advances towards another woman in a central London bar mere months later. “Whilst he was there he had groped her bottom, which we say is sexual touching, dragged her by the arm and had refused to leave.”
Syed also said that the other woman had recounted how she led him out of the bar to get rid of him. “In order to help her move him she had walked him out of the bar onto the street. At that point, he continued touching her, he verbally abused her, he grabbed her shoulders and her forcibly kissed her on the lips.”
The prosecutor Syed went on to state to the jury that the accused had raped the second complainant after luring her to a “sex club” in the city.
“She explained that she had asked the defendant to wear a condom which she had provided and she said the vaginal intercourse took place immediately with almost no foreplay,” Syed informed the court. Adding to the chilling testimony, she continued: “She described how she started to feel the defendant’s hands around her neck, and no matter how many times she removed them, she said the defendant Mr Johnston kept on putting his hands back around her throat.”
The victim’s ordeal didn’t end there, as she recounted to the police, according to Syed: “She made, she told police, multiple attempts to remove his hands but he did not remove them. He then stopped and removed the condom.”
Despite her protests, Johnston allegedly persisted in having unprotected sex with the woman. Johnston, however, refutes all allegations.
The trial is set to proceed.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
