The jurors at the Slowthai rape trial have been urged not to be “Wagatha Christies” when it comes to their deliberations, and told that the rapper will be “cancelled for the rest of time”.
The rapper, whose real name is Tyron Frampton, and his co-accused Alex Blake-Walker are accused of rape following his performance at The Bullingdon in Oxford, on the evening of September 7 2021.
Both Frampton, aged 29, and Blake-Walker, aged 27, deny three joint counts of rape and one count of sexual assault – the BBC reports.
The jury is expected to be sent out to consider the verdicts later today (December 12), and the BBC has reported that the final day of the trial saw prosecutor Heather Stangoe urge jurors to “decide this case on the evidence” alone.
According to the outlet, she also told jurors that they are “not investigators” and made reference to the famous legal battle between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney, saying that they shouldn’t try to be “Wagatha Christies”.
“This is not C.S.I, this is not an American drama – this is a case about real people and things that happened in real life,” Stangoe continued.
The court has heard that one of the complainants, described as a “huge fan” of the rapper, saw him at a restaurant before the gig and was then added to the VIP list after speaking. Stangoe told the jury the pair had met a group of friends – including the other complainant – at Frampton’s tour bus.
In the statements made by the prosecutor, the group then headed back to one of their homes, where the alleged attack took place. The jury was told that Frampton has insisted on two rules – “no phones and no boys.”
At the house party, it has been alleged that some women remained inside while Frampton and Blake-Walker went up to the roof with the two complainants. They claim that, while there, Blake-Walker raped the first woman while being encouraged by Frampton, and Frampton twice raped the second complainant while being buoyed on by Blake-Walker.
Patrick Gibbs KC, the lawyer defending Frampton, has claimed that there were a dozen “problems” with accusations outlined and said that Slowthai isn’t “everybody’s stereotype of a rapper”, describing him as a “thoughtful [and] modest” man who “throws himself, sometimes recklessly, into life”.
He also outlined how the accusations levelled against Slowthai will continue to affect him long after the trial is over. “There’s all the difference in the world between being up for a good time, in a boyish and immature way, and forcing yourself upon someone against their will… Even if he [Mr Frampton] is acquitted, it [the allegations] will not leave him. He’ll be cancelled for the rest of time,” he told the jury.
Also in the court proceedings, Blake-Walker’s lawyer Sheryl Nwosu, said that the evidence outlined “doesn’t fit with Mr Blake-Walker and his behaviour on the night”, while Judge Ian Pringe said the case was a “question of consent”.
The judge asked jurors to “lay aside any feelings of sympathy or dislike” and make their decision in a “calm and cool manner”, adding that they “must be sure of guilt” if they are to convict the two men.
Frampton has been supported by his wife at Anne-Marie throughout the trial, which is being held at Oxford Crown Court.
Slowthai was nominated for the Mercury Prize for his 2019 debut album ‘Nothing Great About Britain‘, with his second album ‘Tyron’ reaching Number One upon release in 2021. The artist’s last release was ‘UGLY‘, which came out back in March.
The trial continues.
