Roy Harper Sexual Abuse Charges Dropped

In 2013, influential folk artist Roy Harper was charged with sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl in the 1970s and indecently assaulting a 16-year-old girl in 1980. Now, The Guardian reports, all charges have been dropped, after an earlier jury ruling in favor of Harper.

According to The Guardian, Harper said in a statement:

I have now been acquitted on all the charges that were brought. This case should never have gone as far as this, or taken so long to resolve.

The psychological and personal cost to my wife and myself has been enormous and the financial cost hugely unfair. I lost my livelihood and I spent my savings … and more, on my defence.

I realise these are difficult issues at this time in this society, and I thank my lawyers for standing by me and working so hard to show the truth. Despite coming out of this without a blemish on my name, I cannot recoup my costs and that’s left me incredibly angry.

I’m now going to restart my working life where I left off nearly three years ago. I’d like to thank everyone who’s continued to support me. Thank you, all of you.

A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service said, according to The Guardian, “We keep all our cases under constant review and in this case it was decided that based on the strength of the evidence there is no longer a realistic prospect of a conviction. We will be meeting with the complainant and her family in order to fully explain our decision.”

Harper has been cited as an influence by everyone from Johnny Marr to Fleet Foxes and Joanna Newsom (with whom he has toured). He sang lead vocals on Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar” from Wish You Were Here and was the inspiration for Led Zeppelin’s “Hats Off to (Roy) Harper” from Led Zeppelin III. He has worked with Paul McCartney and Kate Bush. His most recent album was Man and Myth, released in fall 2013.

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