Jury clears Blackburn 'child sex' accused (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Jury clears Blackburn 'child sex' accused
3:01pm Friday 8th March 2013 in News
A BLACKBURN man has been cleared of grooming and abusing two girls.
A jury at Preston Crown Court took just one hour and 42 minutes to reach an unamious verdict to clear Raymond Cotton, of Heys Lane, Blackburn.
The 55-year-old was found not guilty of 14 offences, including charges of rape and indecent assault involving the first girl and charges of indecent assault, gross indecency with a child and and rape involving the second girl.
The court heard Cotton was arrested and interviewed twice by police, in 2009 and 2011, as the victims separately made allegations against him.
He claimed the alleged victims, now women in their 40s, had got together against him in a bid for compensation payouts.
