ed willcox/central news
Ed Sappin arrives at court with his wife, Jan Hua (center), and his mother, Susan (right). He had been accused of sexual assault at a London party in 2012.
A New York investment banker accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a London house party has been cleared after his alleged victim refused to give evidence for a second time.
Ed Sappin, 39, of Brooklyn, was accused of targeting the woman after a wedding on Oct. 21, 2012, according to The Times of London.
After the reception, the bride gave guests the keys to her upmarket Hampstead flat so they could continue the party, according to the London Evening Standard.
With the alleged victim “extremely tired” and resting her head on Sappin’s lap, he was said to have lifted her up from the sofa and taken her to a bedroom.
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“Her next recollection is of lying on her side in the bed with Mr. Sappin lying behind her,” said prosecutor Peter Nugent, who claimed she found she no longer had any underwear on.
“He started kissing me. I think that is when I snapped and thought ‘oh my God’. I ran out of the bedroom into the living room and I just started screaming,” she told police.
Worried neighbors heard the screams and called cops.
Sappin, a former BP director, stood trial for the alleged assault at Blackfriars Crown Court last month.
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But the jury was discharged, after nine hours of deliberation, for failing to reach a verdict.
Sappin — a married father-of-one who is now chief executive of The Willowbrook Company, which focuses on investing in renewable energy — was due to be retried.
But prosecutor Andrew Dolden told the court this week, “The Crown have reviewed the case and spoken to the complainant, who does not wish to return to court.
“We offer no evidence and invite the court to enter a not-guilty verdict.”
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Sappin, who had travelled from the U.S. to London for the wedding, said the woman initially consented to sexual activity and that he had stopped when she became agitated.
He claimed he got in bed beside the woman to sleep, but they later started kissing. Removing her tights and underwear, he said he performed a sex act on her before hugging her again.
It was then, he claimed, that she started screaming and ran out of the room.
Sappin’s wife Jan Hua said in a written statement to the court that she was standing by her husband.
“I have complete confidence and trust in him. I believe this event is out of character. This matter is difficult for any man to disclose, but he told me about it with candor,” she wrote.
“He is a good person, with tremendous respect for women and others in general,” she added.
Sappin, a self-styled “innovation junkie,” made his name as a finance expert after working for several leading U.S. firms.
Yahoo Local News – New York Daily News
http://newyork.greatlocalnews.info/?p=15721
via Great Local News: New York http://newyork.greatlocalnews.info
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