Parents accused of RAPE by pal tell Holly Willoughby of their ordeal on This Morning
Neil Coulson and Joanne Evans were cleared in just two minutes after facing the possibility of 19 years in prison
A COUPLE have spoken of their two-year nightmare after being cleared of raping a female pal.
But after nearly two years the couple were cleared in just two minutes when the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) offered no evidence and dropped the charge.
A woman, who cannot be named, first made the allegation in January last year, after she and her husband were invited over to the couple’s house in Hartlepool for drinks.
Speaking on This Morning, she recalled: “Things started to get provocative and frisky and the woman started taking off her clothes.
“We went along with it as we thought it was a bit of harmless fun.
“They were drunk and we joked they were swingers because of their behaviour, we were laughing and joking about it.”
But when their friend’s drunk husband went home and left his wife locked out of her house, Joanne and Neil say they invited her to stay at theirs.
RELATED STORIES
Joanne told how the woman slept in their bed, while the couple stayed on the sofa for the night.
But despite how they “all laughed and joked” the next morning about how drunk they were the night before, the mum described how things soon took a very serious turn.
Four days later, cops arrived at their door and arrested them both for raping their friend.
Neil and Joanne spent 23 hours locked up at Hartlepool Police Station and Neil was stripped and had DNA samples taken from him.
Joanne said: “I was gobsmacked, I had no idea this would happen, I was in shock.
“Being locked up for 23 hours was the worst 23 hours of my life.
“It was horrific, being away from our children and worried they would find out.”
They said the case was dropped last April when police took no further action.
But a year later they say the allegation resurfaced and they were both charged, with a trial fixed for early next year.
And they were told they faced up to 19 years behind bars if they refused to admit their guilt but were then convicted.
Joanne says she suffered from depression and says she was forced to close her beauty salon, while Neil, a welder, lost work contracts.
The mum previously told how the "nightmare" ordeal left her feeling "traumatised" and suicidal.
But despite being found innocent by a judge at Teesside crown court, the couple said the effects of their ordeal are still being felt.
Joanne said: “We couldn't understand why someone would want to do this to an innocent family – we could have spent 19 years in jail.
“We have been named and branded. There is no going back even though we have been found innocent.”
The couple have been critical of the CPS for allowing the case to go to court, and have called for a change in the law to protect the identities of people accused of rape until they have been convicted.
A CPS spokesman said: "In all cases, it is the duty of prosecutors to ensure that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.
"Criminal cases are kept under continuous review to ensure that charges are supported by sufficient evidence.
"During a recent case review, in consultation with Prosecution Counsel, it became clear that there was not a realistic prospect of conviction.
"As a result, the decision was taken by the Crown to formally offer no evidence in this case."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368