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Former Britain’s Got Talent finalist Andrew Johnston admits he’s now hoping to rebuild his life after Southwark Crown Court cleared him of raping two women

Britain’s Got Talent finalist Andrew Johnston says he “lost everything” after being accused of rape. He was cleared of both accusations on Thursday. The former singer, who appeared on the programme and made it to the final in 2008, was accused of raping and sexually assaulting one woman and raping a second.

Andrew, 30, had continued to deny the allegations against him. Prosecutors alleged that he twice took a condom off during sex and continued with the intercourse. One of the women also claims he groped her bottom and kissed her when she saw him at a club.

Following the verdict on Thursday, Andrew told Southwark Crown Court that after five years, he is hoping to get his life back on track. He said: “I’m just glad it’s over – it’s been super stressful.” He went on to say: “It’s been five years of this, people doubting me. And I’ve not been able to say anything for five years.

“So I’ve only just been able to get my say and, thankfully, the right decision has been made. But I just want to go home now and see my dog.” When asked what he thought was next for him, Johnston responded: “Get my life back. Slowly be rebuilding my life because I’ve lost everything over this last five years.”

Johnston, who wore a grey suit, held his head in his hands as the verdict was read out. He added to the court that he had “never sung a note” since the allegations emerged, while saying that the women had told “a pack of lies.”

He described his lovemaking as “fast, energetic, maybe a bit passionate” but added that he was never aggressive, always used a condom and that the sex was consensual. The jury of nine women and three men cleared him of all the charges.

The alleged offences happened a number of years after Johnston shot to fame as a choirboy on the ITV show, Maryam Syed KC, prosecuting, told the jury previously.

Ms Syed said Johnston, of Carlisle, Cumbria, had been “engaging in consensual sexual activity” with one of the women, but he allegedly removed his condom, and she “repeatedly told Mr Johnston to stop” – but he did not. The other woman told police she engaged in consensual sex with the singer and asked him to use a condom.

The woman said she started to feel his hands around her neck and “no matter how many times she removed them”, he kept putting his hands back around her throat, Ms Syed said. He then stopped and removed the condom, then carried on with the sex, it was alleged.

The singer, who was born in Dumfries, Scotland, but moved when he was about eight months old, released an album that went to number four in the UK charts and appeared on tour with other Britain’s Got Talent finalists. His mother entered him on BGT where he impressed the judges including Simon Cowell with his version of Pie Jesu and Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven.

He came third and went on to sign a contract with Cowell, released an album that went to number four in the UK charts and appeared in a UK Tour with other finalists.

The early stardom stopped as his voice changed, prompting him to make a shift and sing in a lower range. He told the court: “It went on for a couple of years until my voice started to change. It became a bit difficult to sing the songs I was singing in the show.”

Former Britain’s Got Talent finalist Andrew Johnston admits he’s now hoping to rebuild his life after Southwark Crown Court cleared him of raping two women

Britain’s Got Talent finalist Andrew Johnston says he “lost everything” after being accused of rape. He was cleared of both accusations on Thursday. The former singer, who appeared on the programme and made it to the final in 2008, was accused of raping and sexually assaulting one woman and raping a second.

Andrew, 30, had continued to deny the allegations against him. Prosecutors alleged that he twice took a condom off during sex and continued with the intercourse. One of the women also claims he groped her bottom and kissed her when she saw him at a club.

Following the verdict on Thursday, Andrew told Southwark Crown Court that after five years, he is hoping to get his life back on track. He said: “I’m just glad it’s over – it’s been super stressful.” He went on to say: “It’s been five years of this, people doubting me. And I’ve not been able to say anything for five years.

“So I’ve only just been able to get my say and, thankfully, the right decision has been made. But I just want to go home now and see my dog.” When asked what he thought was next for him, Johnston responded: “Get my life back. Slowly be rebuilding my life because I’ve lost everything over this last five years.”

Johnston, who wore a grey suit, held his head in his hands as the verdict was read out. He added to the court that he had “never sung a note” since the allegations emerged, while saying that the women had told “a pack of lies.”

He described his lovemaking as “fast, energetic, maybe a bit passionate” but added that he was never aggressive, always used a condom and that the sex was consensual. The jury of nine women and three men cleared him of all the charges.

The alleged offences happened a number of years after Johnston shot to fame as a choirboy on the ITV show, Maryam Syed KC, prosecuting, told the jury previously.

Ms Syed said Johnston, of Carlisle, Cumbria, had been “engaging in consensual sexual activity” with one of the women, but he allegedly removed his condom, and she “repeatedly told Mr Johnston to stop” – but he did not. The other woman told police she engaged in consensual sex with the singer and asked him to use a condom.

The woman said she started to feel his hands around her neck and “no matter how many times she removed them”, he kept putting his hands back around her throat, Ms Syed said. He then stopped and removed the condom, then carried on with the sex, it was alleged.

The singer, who was born in Dumfries, Scotland, but moved when he was about eight months old, released an album that went to number four in the UK charts and appeared on tour with other Britain’s Got Talent finalists. His mother entered him on BGT where he impressed the judges including Simon Cowell with his version of Pie Jesu and Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven.

He came third and went on to sign a contract with Cowell, released an album that went to number four in the UK charts and appeared in a UK Tour with other finalists.

The early stardom stopped as his voice changed, prompting him to make a shift and sing in a lower range. He told the court: “It went on for a couple of years until my voice started to change. It became a bit difficult to sing the songs I was singing in the show.”

Get your garden into tip-top shape this spring with a ‘very effective’ cordless strimmer that’s praised by shoppers for easily battling overgrown grass and weeds – and right now, it’s on sale

Wave goodbye to stressful hours spent laborously cutting the grass, trimming the verge and banishing weeds this spring, as a 3-in-1 multifunctional strimmer is taking Amazon shoppers by storm, thanks to its effectiveness and ease of use. Plus, it won’t cost a fortune, as it’s currently on sale with a delightful 20% discount.

This Cordless Strimmer acts as a strimmer as well as a mower and edger, making it ideal for tackling all of your garden-maintenance needs. Plus, you can wave goodbye to the hassle of battling cables and extension leads, as this beauty sheds all wires and runs on a long-lasting battery instead. Normally retailing for £55.99, this gem is now reduced to £45.04 in this Amazon sale.

READ MORE: Wireless Beats earphones that ‘sound better than AirPods and Bose’ plummet to half-price

READ MORE: Shoppers ‘get many compliments’ on Free People heeled sandals that ‘dress up any outfit’

The 3-In-1 Grass Strimmer/Edge Trimmer/Brush Cutter boasts impressively low noise emission, letting you forget ear protectors the next time you need to do work on your yard. Also designed to be waterproof and easy to clean, this gadget is suitable for lawn trimming, weed removal, gardening pruning, etc. ensuring all of your gardening tasks are met with one, wallet-friendly device.

Boasting a fast and superior run- ime to ensure smooth mowing, this strimmer allows you to easily complete the garden work in a shorter space of time. Armed with a battery that holds twice the capcity of standard batteries on the market, this strimmer effortlessly handles a larger yard without you needing to worry about running out of power half way through the job

The cordless strimmer comes armed with three blades that can easily cope with various situations; the plastic blade acts like a heavy-duty rope and is ideal for cutting soft grass; the metal blade is great for trimming weeds, reeds and other vegatation you want to cut back and the manganese steel circular saw blade is ideal for cutting small shrubs and branches.

With an adjustable telescopic handle that lets you pick the right height and length for comfortable use, this gem also comes with the wheels that can be added on for more convinient handling while you work, making it a great choice for those who struggle to hold heavy objects for long periods as it’s super lightweight and portable. Plus, with a 90° rotating cutting head, the cordless strimmer can adjust its direction at will, easily reaching all lawn edges.

Shoppers who have picked up this gardening whizz have left high praise in 5-star reviews. One satisified customer shares: “This is a fantastic piece of equipment.. and the batteries last for ages. When it arrived I watched the video on Amazon and learnt what all the different blades were for. I have strim’d the high grass on my allotment and put the wheels on to cut it short like a lawn mower.. and it is a big area.. It is light weight and easy to hold, the hight setting is vast so easy for any height person to use.”

Another happy buyer beams: “Thought this worth a try for its cost and other reviews. To date, very pleased. For a small lightweight strimmer it’s very effective.” They go on to say, “A handy ‘go to’ time saver for helping contain our rather wayward ‘natural’ garden.”

A third chimes in: “I wanted to buy a strimmer that had no cables because we have a large garden but all the ones I’ve looked at are too heavy and really bulky! I came across this one, checked the reviews and people were saying it was great! I bought this on Amazon Prime Day for a lower price….and what a great bargain! It’s brilliant, it’s so easy to set up and to use! It’s light which is fab because this means no achy arms yay! Even my father in law gave it a go who’s in his 80’s he loves it, he took over and strimmed around the edges of our garden.”

And this shopper says: “Fantastic tool for the cost. I had a large abandoned piece of ground which was very overgrown. Cut through thorns and smaller bushes easily. With the aid of some manual branch loppers job done.”

Head over to Amazon to catch this deal while it lasts, and save a handy £11 off on this 3-in-1 gadget that’s set to make transforming your garden so much easier this spring.

Get your garden into tip-top shape this spring with a ‘very effective’ cordless strimmer that’s praised by shoppers for easily battling overgrown grass and weeds – and right now, it’s on sale

Wave goodbye to stressful hours spent laborously cutting the grass, trimming the verge and banishing weeds this spring, as a 3-in-1 multifunctional strimmer is taking Amazon shoppers by storm, thanks to its effectiveness and ease of use. Plus, it won’t cost a fortune, as it’s currently on sale with a delightful 20% discount.

This Cordless Strimmer acts as a strimmer as well as a mower and edger, making it ideal for tackling all of your garden-maintenance needs. Plus, you can wave goodbye to the hassle of battling cables and extension leads, as this beauty sheds all wires and runs on a long-lasting battery instead. Normally retailing for £55.99, this gem is now reduced to £45.04 in this Amazon sale.

READ MORE: Wireless Beats earphones that ‘sound better than AirPods and Bose’ plummet to half-price

READ MORE: Shoppers ‘get many compliments’ on Free People heeled sandals that ‘dress up any outfit’

The 3-In-1 Grass Strimmer/Edge Trimmer/Brush Cutter boasts impressively low noise emission, letting you forget ear protectors the next time you need to do work on your yard. Also designed to be waterproof and easy to clean, this gadget is suitable for lawn trimming, weed removal, gardening pruning, etc. ensuring all of your gardening tasks are met with one, wallet-friendly device.

Boasting a fast and superior run- ime to ensure smooth mowing, this strimmer allows you to easily complete the garden work in a shorter space of time. Armed with a battery that holds twice the capcity of standard batteries on the market, this strimmer effortlessly handles a larger yard without you needing to worry about running out of power half way through the job

The cordless strimmer comes armed with three blades that can easily cope with various situations; the plastic blade acts like a heavy-duty rope and is ideal for cutting soft grass; the metal blade is great for trimming weeds, reeds and other vegatation you want to cut back and the manganese steel circular saw blade is ideal for cutting small shrubs and branches.

With an adjustable telescopic handle that lets you pick the right height and length for comfortable use, this gem also comes with the wheels that can be added on for more convinient handling while you work, making it a great choice for those who struggle to hold heavy objects for long periods as it’s super lightweight and portable. Plus, with a 90° rotating cutting head, the cordless strimmer can adjust its direction at will, easily reaching all lawn edges.

Shoppers who have picked up this gardening whizz have left high praise in 5-star reviews. One satisified customer shares: “This is a fantastic piece of equipment.. and the batteries last for ages. When it arrived I watched the video on Amazon and learnt what all the different blades were for. I have strim’d the high grass on my allotment and put the wheels on to cut it short like a lawn mower.. and it is a big area.. It is light weight and easy to hold, the hight setting is vast so easy for any height person to use.”

Another happy buyer beams: “Thought this worth a try for its cost and other reviews. To date, very pleased. For a small lightweight strimmer it’s very effective.” They go on to say, “A handy ‘go to’ time saver for helping contain our rather wayward ‘natural’ garden.”

A third chimes in: “I wanted to buy a strimmer that had no cables because we have a large garden but all the ones I’ve looked at are too heavy and really bulky! I came across this one, checked the reviews and people were saying it was great! I bought this on Amazon Prime Day for a lower price….and what a great bargain! It’s brilliant, it’s so easy to set up and to use! It’s light which is fab because this means no achy arms yay! Even my father in law gave it a go who’s in his 80’s he loves it, he took over and strimmed around the edges of our garden.”

And this shopper says: “Fantastic tool for the cost. I had a large abandoned piece of ground which was very overgrown. Cut through thorns and smaller bushes easily. With the aid of some manual branch loppers job done.”

Head over to Amazon to catch this deal while it lasts, and save a handy £11 off on this 3-in-1 gadget that’s set to make transforming your garden so much easier this spring.