A TRAVELLER cleared of raping a woman outside a nightclub has spoken of his nine-month ‘nightmare’.

Tommy Boswell had been accused of dragging and pushing a 20-year-old woman across a road before pinning her against a wall and sexually assaulting her on a night out in Blackburn town centre.

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The 19-year-old, who had never been in trouble with the police before, said he was kept in prison for a week on remand.

But following a six-day trial, it took a jury just over an hour to clear him of the charges.

The family of the roofer, who lives on the Ewood Caravan Park, said the case should never have got to court at all.

They believe he was blamed because of his traveller heritage and said the allegations had ‘ruined’ his life.

Mr Boswell said: “I just cannot put into words what I have been through. It was just a nightmare.”

The teenager had been with friends at the Stage Door nightclub, in Mincing Lane, in January, when it was alleged he attacked the woman.

She said he followed her out of the club and pulled her across St Peter’s Street, down Mincing Lane and into a recess between two buildings behind the Hex Tattoo shop where he raped her.

Mr Boswell said the attack never happened and he was cleared at Preston Crown Court.

The Romany traveller, who works for his father’s business, said the first he knew of the allegations was when the police knocked at his door.

He said: “I was put into custody and it was terrible. I had never been in trouble in my life before.

“I was in Alcourse Prison in Liverpool and I have not experienced anything like it in my life.”

Mr Boswell’s dad Sean, 40, said he and his wife Rose, 38, had stood by their son throughout the whole process.

He said: “Tommy would have been cast out of our family and our community if he had been guilty.

“He did a week in prison and that was the hardest thing, seeing my son in there.

“I think he got blamed because of his culture and background.

“Since the day Tommy got arrested, our lives have never been the same. It has ruined my son’s life.

“He is the nicest, most lovely lad you would ever meet and he would do anything for anybody.

“We are all still in shock, but we stood by him.

“We were at the trial and they were the hardest six days of our lives.

“The whole thing was on CCTV and there were forensic tests and we do not think the Crown Prosecution Service should have taken it to court.”

The defendant’s father called for anonymity for people accused of sex attacks so that if they are found to be innocent, they can carry on with their lives.

He said: “The alleged victims can walk away without their name known, but the defendant’s reputation gets tarnished.”

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans, who was cleared of rape and sex assault charges in April, said he supported a change in the law.

He said: “It is a form of purgatory and torture to go through the process of facing allegations such as these, made all the worse by the public spotlight.

“It does not matter whether you are in the public eye or whether you are just known within your own community, it has a similar impact on you mentally.

“I believe this is now something the home affairs select committee needs to look at.”

Mr Boswell, who also lives with brothers Elias, 13, and Sean, 20, said he now planned to concentrate on his work in a bid to put the last nine months behind him.

He said: “On top of everything I was worried about the embarrassment to my family and our tight-knit community.

“But I am happy now because a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”

A CPS spokesman said: “The evidence in this case, as in all cases, was carefully reviewed according to the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

“We were satisfied that there was sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and authorised that the defendant was charged with three counts of rape and two counts of sexual assault.

“The CPS takes allegations of sexual offences extremely seriously and it was therefore in the public interest that the evidence was tested by a jury at court.

“It is the role of the jury to decide if someone is guilty or not, and after hearing both the prosecution and defence cases in this trial the jury acquitted the defendant. We of course respect the decision of the jury.”