http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/15/sports/soccer/ched-evans-is-acquitted-of-rape-charges-in-retrial.html 2016-10-14 21:40:39 Soccer Player Ched Evans Is Acquitted of Rape Charges in Retrial The verdict was a vindication for Evans, 27, who spent two and a half years in prison but has already restarted his playing career, at Chesterfield F.C. in English soccer’s third tier. === Ched Evans, the Welsh soccer player whose career was derailed by his conviction for raping a 19-year-old waitress in a hotel, and whose consistent protestations of innocence brought him both support and scorn, was found not guilty Friday after a retrial of the case. The verdict was a vindication for Evans, 27, who has already restarted his playing career, at Chesterfield F.C. in English soccer’s third tier. The retrial followed the Court of Appeal’s decision in April to quash Evans’s initial conviction and refer the case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Evans spent two and a half years in prison after he was convicted of rape in 2012 before he was released in November 2014. What followed was a national debate about whether Evans, who had maintained his innocence throughout the case, The retrial at Cardiff Crown Court followed a well-financed campaign by Evans and his supporters, and it received a great deal of attention — specifically to the offer of a £50,000 reward (about $60,000) to anyone who could provide information to help lead to an acquittal. The complainant was named a number of times on social media and forced to relocate from her home in Rhyl, Wales, ahead of the retrial. Friday brought new fury from women’s groups after the court in the retrial — in a rare decision — allowed two of the complainants’ former sexual partners to give explicit evidence about her sex life to help in Evans’s defense. Lisa Longstaff, a spokeswoman for Women Against Rape, “They know that if they come forward they are going to be trashed,” she said. The jury deliberated for less than three hours before deciding unanimously to acquit Evans, who rushed to his fiancée, Natasha Massey, who has stuck by him throughout the case. In A spokesman said Evans, who is currently injured, intends to continue his career as a player. A striker who played 13 times for Wales, Evans had relatively unheralded spells at Manchester City, Norwich and Sheffield United before his conviction. One of the first teams to express an interest in signing him after his release from prison was his former employer, Sheffield United, which in November 2014 stated that it intended to allow Evans to return to training. The decision was met by a backlash from supporters and sponsors; 150,000 people signed a petition urging the club not to re-sign Evans, who at that point had become a household name, and the club eventually withdrew its offer. Over the ensuing months, Evans continued to be linked with teams in England and abroad. Each report, though, was met with similar reactions from each new club’s fans. Evans and his supporters blamed teams’ unwillingness to sign him on “mob rule.” After failed attempts to secure deals at Hartlepool United, Oldham Athletic and Grimsby Town — all of which currently play in lower tiers than Evans’s previous clubs — he signed a contract with Chesterfield in June. Before his current injury sidelined him, he had played in seven league games, scoring four goals.