PAUL BOSELEY

PAUL BOSELEY, RAPIST GOES FREE!

Paul Boseley, 22, a former civilian custody officer with the police,

A convicted rapist was freed from jail after it was discovered a juror had been doodling during his week-long trial. The juror made two sketches of the judge while he should have been concentrating on the evidence. Paul Boseley, 22, a former civilian custody officer with the police, was convicted last week of the sex attack on an 18-year-old foreign student. But yesterday, as he was due to be sentenced, the case descended into a shambles as the judge revealed not only that the sketches had been made, but also that jurors had conducted their own tests on women's underwear during their deliberations. Judge David McEvoy QC said: "The sketches were found in the waste paper basket in the jury room. "The juror was not paying enough attention to the trial as one would expect." The jurors' actions give Boseley strong grounds for appeal and make it likely his conviction will be quashed. Worcester Crown Court heard that Boseley took the victim home after dancing with her for 30 minutes at a nightclub. He stripped her on a sofa, made threats to punch her and forced her to have sex for ten minutes saying: "Welcome to England." She got out of his house in Worcester and flagged down a taxi to escape his clutches. The girl, who had been sent to England on a gap year by her school in Slovakia, sent a text message to a friend 15 minutes later saying: "Something terrible has happened." The trial hinged on the victim's pink knickers which were torn in three places, and formed a major exhibit in the case. The jury of five women and seven men convicted Boseley of rape by an 11-1 majority after deliberating for seven and a half hours over two days, and he was warned that he faced at least five years in jail. Yesterday Boseley, who had insisted he had sex with the teenager's consent, was brought back to court from Blakenhurst prison, near Redditch, for sentence. It was then that the judge revealed that a juror had asked an usher at the end of the trial on Friday to dispose of a pack of women's pants. The judge said: "They bought a pack of five knickers. "One is torn. They had been trying the strength of knickers and comparing them with knickers in this case. "The juror said they had been conscientious, but they decided the case on evidence not before the court." Nicolas Cartwright, defending, said: "The case turned on the knickers and the damage done to them. "The jury had been conducting their own scientific experiments. There seem to be good grounds for appeal." The judge freed Boseley on bail until today when he is due to be sentenced, but indicated he would be bailed again pending his case being heard by the Court of Appeal. The judge added: "I think the appeal will be allowed and the conviction quashed." The prosecution is considering a retrial if the appeal is successful. As 6ft 3ins Paul Boseley was released he grinned and shouted: "I'm ecstatic. I can't wait to kiss my girlfriend." PAUL BOSELEY