Burton Albion player Williams Kokolo has been unanimously cleared of raping a woman at her apartment in Birmingham on the 13th of February 2022.
Kokolo was freed by jurors at Coventry Crown Court of three counts of rape following a deliberation that lasted 2 hours and 34 minutes.
The former Middlesbrough man had been accused of forcefully having sexual activity with the student at her home.
Williams Kokolo and the lady met through a dating website and they had conversed on Snapchat because they wanted to get to know each other better.
The Frenchman insisted all through the proceedings that sexual activity with the woman had been consensual.
Following the decision after thorough deliberation, the trial judge Mr Justice Wall told the jury how serious rape trials are.
He said: “Rape trials are serious and they are difficult.
“You have to assess the evidence of two people.
“If I may say so, you obviously concentrated very hard on this case and deliberated properly about it.”
Ben Robinson delighted over the decision
The Chairman of Burton Albion was also delighted over the decision by the jury and how quick it was done.
Via a statement, the Brewers chairman Ben Robinson said: “We are delighted that the jury was able to make a very quick decision and to clear William on all charges.”
Robinson additionally said that the case has put the 23-year-old defender in a difficult situation but he was focused on clearing his name.
He stated: “This court case has put a great strain on the young man for the last year but he was determined to clear his name and he can now hopefully put this behind him and resume his football career.”
The Burton Albion chairman also revealed that the League one club has backed the player all through the proceedings.
Ben Robinson added: “Burton Albion has fully supported him throughout the process.”
Burton Albion acquired Williams Kokolo from Middlesbrough in January 2022, he started out in the cadet levels at AS Monaco.
A spokesperson of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Our decision to prosecute William Kokolo was made in accordance with our Code for Crown Prosecutors.”
The spokesperson added that the Frenchman respects the decision of the jury.
He added: “He was acquitted of all charges and we respect the jury’s decision.”
Williams Kokolo last game for Burton Albion
Williams Kokolo last played for Burton Albion on the 27th of August 2022 against Cambridge United and he was involved for 45 minutes of action.
It’s left to be seen how Brewers boss Dino Maamria will ease him into his squad following his lengthy time out.
Burton Albion finished 15th in the 2022/23 League one season with 56 points accumulated from 46 games.
The highest league in the English football pyramid that the Staffordshire have reached is the English Championship.
They spent one season in the Championship, but in the second season in the second tier of English football things turned really south and they returned to the lower division.
