Kieran Hayler has spoken publicly for the first time about the ordeal he faced before being cleared of rape, revealing he feared he would be killed in prison. The former husband of Katie Price was found not guilty of three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault following a trial at Lewes Crown Court.
He was also cleared of four alternative counts of sexual activity with a child. Hayler had denied all the allegations against him.
Lowest point before verdict
In an interview with the Daily Mail, the 39-year-old personal trainer described the night before the verdict as the lowest point of his life. Recalling how he packed a bag in case he was sent down, he said he deliberately avoided taking anything that might make him stand out.
“I don’t think there’s a word that can describe how I felt that night,” he told the Mail. “It was the lowest point of my life. I placed two unbranded tracksuits in my unbranded holdall because I feared I could get killed in jail for having nice things.”
Accusations against Katie Price
Hayler also spoke about his former marriage to Price, who gave evidence during the trial, and claimed he felt the case had become “just a game” for her.
“My take on Kate is that she is her own boss and she directs the narrative in her life, in her ex’s lives, her friends’ lives and if you deviate from that, you’re in trouble. That’s where the revenge starts,” he said. He added: “It was almost like she just wanted to throw as much at me as possible and then walk out and leave.”
Hayler’s defence team had previously asked for the jury to be discharged following Price’s evidence, arguing that parts of her testimony had prejudiced the case. The judge rejected the application but warned jurors to disregard certain evidence. He described Price as “what barristers of a previous generation would have called a dangerous witness”. Price denied being “angry and vengeful” towards her ex during her evidence.
Listening to evidence and moving forward
Hayler described the difficulty of listening to Price give evidence without being able to respond. “I’ve built up a real thick skin when it comes to Kate, and I’ve had to do that for many, many years,” he told the Mail. “I can take her abuse, I can take her threats, I can take her allegations, I can take all of that because I’ve built up a thick skin. But what’s not nice is when you have to sit there and listen to it and not be able to say anything back.”
Despite the verdict, Hayler said his first thought after leaving court was his son Apollo. He recalled driving straight to the school to collect him, rather than going out to celebrate. “It’s not about a celebration of being innocent. It’s about being able to be a dad,” he said.
