Sean Hogg’s accuser says 'no hope of closure’ after rape conviction quashed

Sean Hogg’s alleged victim said she now has ‘no hope of closure’.

Sean Hogg's accuser has said she is ‘devastated’ after he was acquitted of rape following an appeal, due to ‘mistakes made’ during his trial.

Judges in Edinburgh overturned Hogg’s conviction over the rape of the girl in Dalkeith park. It's alleged to have taken place when she was 13-years-old.

Lawyers for Sean Hogg told the Court of Criminal Appeal that the judge who presided over his trial did not follow correct legal procedures to establish guilt, adding that the 22-year-old suffered a “very significant miscarriage of justice”.

Accuser 'devastated' after Sean Hogg rape conviction overturned

In April, Hogg was convicted of raping the teenager on various occasions in Midlothian’s Dalkeith Park, in 2018, when he was aged 17.

The case sparked public outrage when he avoided jail time after being found guilty of raping the schoolgirl at Dalkeith Country Park, Midlothian, on various occasions between March and June 2018.

The lawyer representing the girl, now, 17, and her family said they have now been ‘left to pick up the shattered pieces of their granddaughter’s life’. The girl, who has remained anonymous, said she now has ‘no hope of closure’.

Solicitor General Ruth Charteris KC rules that it is ‘not in the public interest to seek a new prosecution’.

In a statement Solicitor Aamer Anwar said: “My client has asked me to make a statement on her behalf. She retains her anonymity. She states that when she went to the police, she had a hope for justice. When the jury returned a verdict of guilty, she thought that finally she could move on with her life.

“Whilst she appreciates that senior judges have come to this decision after very careful consideration, nonetheless that does not take away from her feeling of devastation and knowing that there is no hope of closure.

My client will remain ever grateful to the police who carried out a robust investigation. My client wishes to thank the jury for doing their duty. My client has, however, a question for the judiciary, the Government, and the Lord Advocate.

“She asks, is there anyone who will say that it was never the intention of the sentencing guidelines for under 25’s to mean that convicted rapists could escape imprisonment. My client’s grandmother has said that they have been left to pick up the shattered pieces of their granddaughter’s life. They felt they were left in the dark by the Crown. Now they must protect their granddaughter whose life has been turned back six years to when she was 13.

It is clear that the trial judge misdirected himself and in doing so, misdirected the jury. The appeal was grounded on procedural unfairness. It is always the responsibility of the trial judge to formulate the appropriate legal directions to give a jury. In this case, the procedure adopted was manifestly unfair and prejudicial to the defence and, on this basis the appeal had to succeed.

“My client believes in jury trials for rape and serious crime. To conclude, it is important for my client that at court today and in my meeting after court with the Solicitor General Ruth Charteris KC, the Crown did not renounce the right to prosecute should new evidence become available.”