Kieran Hayler, the ex-husband of Katie Price, has been found not guilty of rape and sexual assault. The 39-year-old had faced three counts of rape and one count of sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in West Sussex in 2016.
Evidence and Defence Claims
During the trial, Ms Price gave evidence against Hayler, telling the court she had exchanged text messages with the victim and describing the allegations as "disgusting". Hayler's defence argued that the claims stemmed from a "feud" between the couple, who split in 2018 and finalised their divorce in 2021.
In court on Friday, prosecutor Ryan Richter put to Hayler: "Your feud with Katie Price is not what this case is about, is it?" Hayler replied: "It is." Mr Richter went on: "This case is about you having raped a girl isn't it?" Hayler said: "I have not."
Messages and Cross-Examination
During Ms Price's appearance as a witness, the court heard she had messaged the teenage girl around the time of the alleged incident. In the text, she said she had been told that Hayler and the girl had kissed, and he had "tried it on" with her. Ms Price asked the girl, who is not part of either Hayler's or Ms Price's extended families, in a later message: "Did he kiss you? I won't bring up anymore just want truth."
Asked by Hayler's lawyer Arlette Piercy about the messages during cross-examination, Ms Price said: "I was so shocked... I couldn't believe it. I believe something's happened, otherwise I wouldn't keep going on about it." Ms Piercy said "I suggest you did keep going on about it", to which Ms Price replied: "Too right, it's disgusting. But I never once went to the media about it, I never once went to the police about it." She added that it was the complainant's decision to go to the police.
Closing Arguments and Verdict
Later in the cross-examination, Ms Price reacted furiously after Ms Piercy accused her of lying about the sequence of events, telling her: "I don't need to be here. You can see in black and white something's gone on. I won't have anybody call me a liar."
On Tuesday, jurors were told to cut through the "big egos" and "big personalities" involved in the case before considering their verdicts. In a closing speech on Monday, prosecutor Ryan Richter told jurors: "You've seen the whirlwind of what is Katie Price and you're going to make an assessment of her how it affects this case, how much it helps you decide. The prosecution accept you're likely to treat her evidence with caution. You may well put 90% of her evidence to one side, it's irrelevant, it doesn't help you. I'm sure you will concentrate on what is relevant and look for support to assess what she says."
The prosecutor added: "You've seen the big personalities, the big egos in this case and you'll judge it, you'll cut through it." Defence barrister Ms Piercy said in her closing speech that Hayler had been consistent and clear throughout his defence in what has been a "rollercoaster ride for everybody in this court". Ms Piercy said no doubt Hayler and Ms Price were engaged over a number of years in a "toxic, co-dependent relationship", with ups and downs, infidelity on both sides, drugs and alcohol abuse all played out on reality TV and in the press. The jury subsequently found Hayler not guilty on all counts.
