Spandau Ballet‘s former frontman Ross Davidson – aka Ross Wild – has been found guilty of rape and attempted sexual assault.
Davidson – who performed with the band in 2018 – had pleaded not guilty to the rape of a woman in London in March 2015 as well as the attempted rape and sexual assault of another woman in Thailand in December 2019. He met both women on Tinder and had claimed they had engaged in consensual sexual activity.
However, the jurors at Wood Green Crown Court today (January 28) found him guilty of all charges after more than 11 hours of deliberation.
Prosecutor Richard Hearnden described Davidson as a “bit of a sex symbol” but added: “There are two women who say that he has a much darker side.”
Hearnden went on to tell the court: “Men such as the defendant, it is often supposed, can get any girl he wants without having to resort to committing sexual offences, without having to resort to forcing himself on women, without having to resort to rape.
“After all, he is attractive and possesses charisma and charm. Yet, the reality belies that supposition. It is because Ross Davidson expects to get sex on demand that he will resort to rape and sexual assault if he is not given what he thinks he deserves.”
The woman accusing Davidson of rape said she felt “helpless” and “scared to react” after Davidson attacked her while she was asleep in his bed. She added that Davidson “mentioned he liked the idea of having sex with a mannequin, a person in a helpless state, someone not moving”.
Davidson had described himself as “sex positive” to the court, insisting he supported the idea of having “open dialogue, open-mindedness about people’s predilections, just an openness to trying different sexual appetites”.
In 2019, Davidson pleaded guilty to a charge of voyeurism in relation to the woman he attempted to rape in Thailand, secretly filming her on his phone while she slept. She added that she then woke up to Davidson attempting to rape her.
He told the court he filmed her for “selfish reasons, for sexual gratification” and claiming he “had permission to touch her but not to film”. Later he admitted: “I wish I had never done it.”
Davidson will be sentenced at a later date and his next hearing has been set for February 4.
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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