A Canberra man has wiped tears from his eyes as a jury acquitted him of raping a woman at a New Year’s Eve party in 2023.
Steven Howarth, 37, faced a single count of sexual assault after he was alleged to have raped the woman when the pair went with others, including teenagers and children, to a nearby oval to let off fireworks.
Mr Howarth denied assaulting the woman.
The pair had not known each other when they met at the party, where one witness said Mr Howarth had been drinking heavily and swearing.
The victim was also quizzed about how much she had had to drink.
Jury deliberates for less than a day
The court heard the two exchanged Snapchat contacts and the woman had sent Mr Howarth an image of her chest.
The woman said she had been wearing a dress in the picture.
Mr Howarth’s lawyer quizzed her about whether they had been flirting during the party.
The woman denied any flirting.
Witnesses at the oval told the court the alleged victim had seemed very uncomfortable.
One witness described Mr Howarth as hugging the woman from behind.
“She looked like she was trying to move away,” the witness told the court.
But today the jury found him not guilty of rape after less than a day of deliberations.
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