Jury clears rape accused in 15 minutes

AN Edinburgh man has been dramatically cleared of rape.

A jury at the High Court in Livingston took less than 15 minutes to return a not guilty verdict on Andrew Hogg yesterday.

The 23-year-old, of Ryehill Gardens, Edinburgh, pleaded not guilty to raping the 27-year-old woman in her flat in Canongate on November 23, 2008. He lodged a special defence admitting that he and the woman had engaged in a consensual "heavy petting" session. However, he denied that sexual intercourse had taken place.

Hogg told the jury that when the woman had changed her mind about making love, he stopped his advances.

His alleged victim claimed Hogg had made her pregnant and infected her with an STD after allegedly forcing her to have sex with him. But medical experts said a scan taken of her unborn baby suggested that it was conceived in December, not November as she claimed.