Former ‘BGT’ Finalist Andrew Johnston Accused of Raping Two Women
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Former Britain’s Got Talent finalist Andrew Johnston, who appeared on the show in 2008, is currently on trial for allegedly raping two women. The Scottish singer, now 30, was 13 years old when he competed on the talent show.
Former BGT Finalist Andrew Johnston on Trial for Rape
The Independent reports that Johnston is currently on trial in Southwark Crown Court, charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. In a video played for the jury, one complainant said, “He removed the condom without my knowledge or consent and continued to have sex with me. I then said to him ‘stop’ and I said it between five or six times and he did not stop.”
The complainant accused Johnston of holding one hand on her throat and using the other hand to pin her arms down. She said he only stopped when she “slammed on his chest with both hands,” and that he claimed he didn’t hear her telling him to stop. She said she later encountered Johnston at a pub, where he allegedly “groped my bum” and “grabbed me by the shoulders and forcibly kissed me.”
The second complainant shared a similar story with police, saying Johnston put his hands on her throat during sex, and kept putting them back after she removed them. The woman had reportedly asked Johnston to use a condom, which he allegedly removed during intercourse.
Maryam Syed KC, of the prosecution, reportedly told the jury that the similarity in the two women’s stories is “not because there have been heads put together,” but “because of the nature of the way in which this defendant sexually abused both of them.”
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Johnston Reached the Finals at Age 13
Johnston auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent Series 2 when he was 13 years old. He told the judges that he had been bullied throughout his childhood. For his audition, Johnston delivered an operatic performance of “Pie Jesu” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem.
The singer made it to the Finals and finished the competition in third place. After the show, he signed a record deal with Simon Cowell’s Syco Music. Johnston released his debut album, One Voice, in September 2008.
The crimes of which Johnston has been accused allegedly occurred when he was a student at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Johnston has denied the charges.
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