Ulster and Ireland rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding have  been found not guilty of raping a female student at a house party two years ago, with Jackson also being found not guilty of sexual assault.

Two other defendants in the same case have also been found not guilty on all charges.

Blane McIlroy has been found not guilty of exposure, and Rory Harrison has been found not guilty of withholding information and perverting the course of justice.

The jury, made up of eight men and three women, deliberated the verdict for three hours and 45 minutes before returning unanimous not guilty verdicts to all charges.

Jackson, 26, from Belfast and Ulster teammate Olding, 25, also from Belfast, denied raping the same woman – then 19 years of age – following a night out in June 2016. Jackson, a 25-time capped Ireland international, also denied a further charge of sexual assault.

McIlroy, 26, from Belfast, denied exposure while Harrison, 25, from the same city, denied perverting the course of justice and withholding information.

The families of all four men were in the public gallery to hear the jury foreman read out the not guilty verdicts to each charge individually.

The nine-week case that began in January saw the defence argue that the woman made a false allegation of rape because she regretted consenting to group sex and feared that she may have been filmed with the images then potentially ending up being posted on social media.

The prosecution case was that Jackson allegedly pushed the woman down on his bed and vaginally raped and digitally penetrated her, before Olding allegedly walked into the room where the woman was forced to perform a sex act on him. It was alleged that McIlroy then entered the room, naked and holding his penis, with the woman then running out of the room.

The prosecution also alleged that Harrison “tried to cover up or manage” the woman, and took her home in a taxi.

A lawyer for the Public Prosecution Service told the trial that Jackson had “not sought her consent and indeed used force to achieve his aim”, and that Olding entered the bedroom while the complainant was being raped and joined in.

In the hours after the alleged incident, the woman attended a sexual health clinic and a sexual assault referral centre before making her first statement to the police the following day.

Under cross-examination, Jackson repeatedly denied he had forced the girl to perform sex acts against her will.

He said the complainant was one of a number of women that returned to his house after meeting the rugby players and their friends in a Belfast nightclub the day after they returned home from Ireland’s tour of South Africa.

Jackson said the woman had followed him to his bedroom on two separate occasions for consensual sexual activity.

Olding said he was “in complete control” of his actions following a day of heavy drinking with Jackson and others, and that he was “100 per cent sure” what had happened had been consensual.

Neither Jackson nor Olding have played for club or country since they were charged last July. Jackson made his Ireland debut in 2013 and was the second-choice fly-half at the time of being charged, while Olding made his international debut in the same year and has four caps to his name, with the most recent coming on the tour of South Africa alongside Jackson.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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The prosecution has finished its case in the rape trial of Ireland and Ulster rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding.

The jury of eight men and three women will begin hearing the defence case on Monday with Judge Patricia Smyth telling Laganside Crown Court the four accused will have an opportunity to give evidence or to call witnesses.

The jury at Laganside Crown Court in Belfast heard on Thursday that Mr Olding had originally been charged with vaginally raping the 19-year-old complainant but the charge was dropped just before Christmas.

Mr Jackson (26), of Oakleigh Park, Belfast has pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault in the early hours of June 28th, 2016 at a party in his house.

Mr Olding (24), of Ardenlee Street, Belfast, denies one count of rape on the same occasion. Both men contend the activity was consensual.

Blane McIlroy (26), of Royal Lodge Road, Ballydollaghan, Belfast, has pleaded not guilty to one count of exposure while Rory Harrison (25), from Manse Road, Belfast, pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice and withholding information relating to the incident.

A senior investigating officer with the PSNI’s Rape Crime Unit confirmed to defence counsel that Mr Olding was originally investigated and charged with vaginally raping the student.

Forensic testing

Frank O’Donoghue QC, for Mr Olding, asked the officer why the clothing his client was wearing on the night of the alleged rape was not seized and sent for forensic testing.

The trial heard Mr Olding’s house was searched two days later and some clothes were seized but these were not the clothes he was wearing that night.

His clothes would “surely have evidential value” such as showing if Mr Olding’s semen was on his shirt or boxer shorts, counsel said. He said this would have been particularly relevant to the charge of vaginal rape which Mr Olding faced at the time.

The officer denied the clothes had significant evidential value. She said Mr Olding had already admitted he ejaculated and testing the clothes wouldn’t have done anything to prove vaginal rape.

Counsel also asked the officer why she didn’t ask the complainant “some very obvious questions” during her two interviews, such as what happened to her top during the alleged rape.

“Is there not an absence of important detail in these interviews?” Mr O’Donoghue asked the officer.

Version of events

The officer said the purposes of the interviews were not to probe the complainant but to allow her give her version of events in her own words.

On the evening after the alleged rape the woman was examined by a Dr Philip Lavery who took notes and made a statement, both of which were later handed over to police. The officer told counsel she read both these documents.

“When you got Dr Lavery’s statement you must have said ‘what in God’s name is this?’” Mr O’Donoghue said.

He said it must have been apparent to the police that the doctor’s account of what the woman told him contained a number of significant inconsistencies with what she told police during her interviews.

Counsel asked if, in light of this, any consideration was given to interviewing the complainant a third time to ask her about the inconsistencies.

The officer said she does not know if it was discussed but that ultimately no decision was taken to conduct a third interview. She said a third interview would only be done if the complainant said she had further information.

The trial will not sit in evidence on Friday due to the weather. It is expected to finish by March 16th.

Ireland and Ulster rugby player Stuart Olding was charged with vaginally raping a 19 year old Belfast student until the charge was dropped just before last Christmas, his trial has heard.

Mr Olding is standing trial at Laganside Crown Court in Belfast accused of one count of oral rape while his co-accused and teammate Paddy Jackson is accused of vaginal rape and sexual assault.

This morning a senior investigating officer with the PSNI’s Rape Crime Unit confirmed to Mr Olding’s defence counsel he was originally investigated for and charged with vaginally raping the woman.

Frank O’Donoghue QC, for Mr Olding, asked the officer why the clothing his client was wearing on the night of the alleged rape was not seized and sent for forensic testing.

The trial heard Mr Olding’s house was searched two days later and some clothes were seized but these were not the clothes he was wearing that night.

His clothes would “surely have evidential value” such as showing if Mr Olding’s semen was on his shirt or boxer shorts, counsel said. He said this would have been particularly relevant to the charge of vaginal rape which Mr Olding faced at the time.

The officer denied the clothes had significant evidential value. She said Mr Olding had already admitted he ejaculated and testing the clothes would not have done anything to prove vaginal rape.

Counsel also asked the officer why she didn’t ask the complainant “some very obvious questions” during her two interviews, such as what happened to her top during the alleged rape.

“Is there not an absence of important detail in these interviews?” Mr O’Donoghue asked the officer.

The officer said the purposes of the interviews were not to probe the complainant but to allow her give her version of events in her own words.

On the evening after the alleged rape the woman was examined by a Dr Philip Lavery who took notes and made a statement, both of which were later handed over to police. The officer told counsel she read both these documents.

“When you got Dr Lavery’s statement you must have said ‘what in God’s name is this’,” Mr O’Donoghue said.

He said it must have been apparent to the police that the doctor’s account of what the woman told him contained a number of significant inconsistencies with what she told police during her interviews.

Counsel asked if, in light of this, any consideration was given to interviewing the complainant a third time to ask her about the inconsistencies.

The officer said she does not know if it was discussed but that ultimately no decision was taken to conduct a third interview. She said a third interview would only be done if the complainant said she had further information.

Mr Jackson (26), of Oakleigh Park, Belfast has pleaded not guilty to rape and sexual assault in the early hours of June 28th, 2016 at a party in his house. Mr Olding (24), of Ardenlee Street, Belfast, denies one count of rape on the same occasion. Both men contend the activity was consensual.

Blane McIlroy (26), of Royal Lodge Road, Ballydollaghan, Belfast, has pleaded not guilty to one count of exposure while Rory Harrison (25), from Manse Road, Belfast, pleaded not guilty to perverting the course of justice and withholding information relating to the incident.

The trial continues before Judge Patricia Smyth and the jury of eight men and three women.

An Ireland and Ulster rugby star accused of two counts of rape has had one of the charges withdrawn ahead of his trial.

Stuart Olding, 24, will now face a single rape charge when the case against him and club and international team-mate Paddy Jackson starts next month.

Olding and Jackson, 25, are accused of raping the same woman at a property in south Belfast in June last year.

They have strenuously denied the charges. Their high-profile trial is scheduled to start in January.

While Olding, of Ardenlee Street, Belfast, is now charged with one count of rape, Jackson, from Oakleigh Park, Belfast, is accused of one count of rape and one of sexual assault.

Two other men have also been returned for trial on charges connected with the incident.

Blane McIlroy, 26, from Royal Lodge Road, Ballydollaghan, Belfast, is accused of one count of exposure.

Rory Harrison, 25, from Manse Road, Belfast, is charged with perverting the course of justice and withholding information. He also attended Friday’s short hearing.

All four have pleaded not guilty and they are all on bail.

Fly-half Jackson has been capped for Ireland 25 times and centre Olding has played four times. They are established stars for Ulster Rugby.

The Irish Rugby Football Union and Ulster Rugby have said they will not play again until court proceedings conclude.

On Thursday, Northern Ireland’s Public Prosecution Service (PPS) said a count of vaginal rape against Olding would not proceed due to “additional forensic evidence that is now available”. He is still accused of oral rape.

A statement agreed between prosecution and defence lawyers, and issued at the direction of the judge, said: “The prosecution have today confirmed that they will no longer be proceeding with the charge of vaginal rape against Stuart Olding.

“No evidence will now be offered by the prosecution in respect of this charge and Mr Olding will be acquitted of this count of rape.

“The prosecution acknowledges that Mr Olding always denied the offence of vaginal rape and challenged the adequacy of the evidence against him in respect of this charge at two hearings during 2017 which the prosecution successfully opposed on the basis of the forensic evidence that the prosecution had obtained at that time.

“The prosecution is not proceeding with this count as a result of additional forensic evidence now available.

“Had that evidence been available at an earlier stage, the vaginal rape charge would not have been brought against Mr Olding at any time.

“The prosecution is proceeding with the remaining count of oral rape against Mr Olding.”