Oyston attends Labour fundraiser

The owner of Blackpool Football Club, one time owner of Lancashire Life and the Red Rose Radio Stations, attended a Labour Party fundraiser at Wembley.

The news, both BBC and the tabloids all led with the headline "Convicted Rapist Attends Labour Party Bash"

Now living in Blackpool at the time, I remember the widespread disbelief when he was convicted, letters were written to MP's, the media etc etc. It was even mentioned in the House of Commons .

Just before Oyston went to trial, the rules relating to the rape cases were changed, and when I say just before I mean literally 5 days before.

A lot of people myself included wanted to know how a person could be charged with serious sexual assault years after the offence had taken place, now these days cases such as this are becoming more and more accepted, especially with regards to the Catholic Church and abuse. But in 1996, it was virtually unheard of, Oystons case centred around allegations of assault against a model he was reported to have committed whilst she was in his car and then later at his home Claughton Hall near Lancaster.

It came out at the trial that the young lady/model gave Oyston a blow job in the back of his car, then when they arrived back at his home she went to his bedroom and they had sex. A few years later the lady then went to the Police alleging rape, her friend who was both in the car and also in the bedroom at Claughton Hall, denied any offences took place.

I don't think Oyston raped the lady/model at the time, but he was convicted in court, he appealed and lost, he went on to serve 4 years of a 6 year sentence, only being released on licence after forcing a Judicial review over the Parole Boards refusal to release him on licence, as he refused to admit to his guilt and showed no remorse for his crime. He won the judicial review and was released on licence.

Now whether he did or did not commit the crime, as far as I am concerned he has paid for it, both in terms of losing his liberty and loss of parts of his businesses, his radio stations were taken off him as he was deemed an unfit person to hold a radio licence.

He has become somewhat of a recluse since his release from prison, and rarely ventures out. Occasional outings to watch Blackpool play usually at home, the most people have seen of him.

Now his name has again been dragged through the mud, not I think in anyway to hurt him, but as a deliberate smear against the Labour party! Now I hate the NuLabour party as much as the next man, I believe they have sold this country down the river and have decimated our rights and freedoms, but to use a man who has always maintained his innocence, who did his time, who had to fight to gain parole, and obtain and win a Judicial Review to gain his freedom, deserves to be left alone in peace. Not to be used as a pawn in the medias attempts to get Brown and NuLabour.