Joseph Eubank has been cleared of raping a girl on Brighton beach near the Palace Pier by a jury at Lewes Crown Court this afternoon (Friday 27 September).
Eubank, 27, of Hill Drive, Hove, was acquitted of two counts of rape after a five-day trial. The jury spent four hours deliberating.
Judge Christine Laing thanked the jury and told them that the courts dealt with a large number of cases of rape and sexual assault on Brighton beach.
Judge Laing said that she had asked whether there could be better lighting and CCTV cameras further down the beach.
The judge said: “You need to think about your behaviour, Mr Eubank.
“The jury has found you not guilty. But you need to reflect on what you did that night. It was not decent behaviour in any way, shape or form.”
On the steps of the court, Eubank’s solicitor Shahid Choudhry said: “Mr Joseph Eubank is hugely relieved that he has been found unanimously not guilty but the jury.
“This has been an extremely difficult time for him and his family.
“The allegation has been hanging over him for some two and a half years and he wishes to express his gratitude m to the court for ensuring he received a fair trial
“Joseph’s life has been at a standstill since he was a arrested and he can now move on to rebuild his future.
“Joseph would like to thank his family for his unwavering and unfailing support throughout.”
The girl, who was 16 at the time, reported being raped near on the beach, near the Palace Pier, in Brighton, on the night of Saturday 16 July 2022.
She was in Brighton to celebrate a friend’s birthday and said that she was drunk. One of her friends said that the girl had been “chugging” vodka. But Eubank told the jury that she did not seem drunk.
The jury was told that the defendant, the son of retired boxer Chris Eubank Sr and the brother of boxer Chris Eubank Jr, admitted having sex with the girl but said that it was with her enthusiastic participation.
Sussex Police said: “She was supported by specialist officers while an investigation was launched.
“Joseph Eubank, 27, of Hill Drive in Hove, was arrested and subsequently charged with two counts of rape of a woman over 16.
“He denied the offences and the case went to trial at Lewes Crown Court, where a jury returned a verdict of not guilty to both offences on Friday 27 September.”
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Em Hayler, said: “We respect the decision of the jury and the judicial process.
“We acknowledge the impact this case has had on everyone involved throughout the past two years.
“I’d like to thank everyone who assisted us in our investigation and the subsequent court process.”
The force said: “Sussex Police will continue to encourage and support any victims of sexual offences and ensure that these cases are thoroughly investigated.
“If you or someone you know is a victim of a sexual offence, please report to police online or via 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.”
My thoughts are with the girl involved, who was over the age of consent but still a child under the law. We need specialist courts to ensure fairness, and prevent potential bullying by lawyers, especially when alleged victims are very young. The judge mentioned that the courts deal with “a large number of cases of rape and sexual assault” on the seafront. That being the case, we need to know what the council and the police will do to ensure the seafront is safer. As the judge suggests, better lighting and CCTV would be a start.
and why they haven’t dealt with the issue already. Large number of cases is not something Brighton can be proud of
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27 year old has sex with 16 year old. Sad individual.
that family goes from one disaster too another… should have stayed in Saff eest Landon
It’s very unusual for an individual to have sex with a girl that he’s only just met where rape hasn’t occurred. How many people in normal relationships had sex within minutes of meeting their partner?… None.. the jury have been hoodwinked… Sickening that he’s got away with it
Presumably you were at the trial to hear all the evidence?
How many people have consensual sex in a heterosexual setting – male homosexuals are totally different – within minutes of meeting?
He had a very expensive solicitor whereas she didn’t?
This 16 year old girl was drunk and preyed upon by a man who is 11 years older.
Even the judge said he had to look at the way he conducts himself in future.
I am shocked but not surprised ! Not because he is he son of someone famous just the fact that women and girls are treated as sex objects and never really believed !
Hopefully the victim can move on and recover for the ordeal !
I can safely say that absolutely any other Joe member of the public would have been convicted. He didn’t know she was paralytic and she seemed happy ? And 16 years old ?
Just shows it does matter who you know and who you are !
On a side note: used to love watching Chris sr box back in the 80’s & 90’s. What a fighter he was, but Chris jr will never live up to his legacy until he beats Connor benn. Which most think is out of the question! Good fighter but will never achieve what his father did.
I read his fathers autobiograpy.. what a f’d up person he is.. A former shoplifter who drank special brew to give himself the courage to steal designer clothes, then subsequently imitates the quintessential english gentleman, yet later, poses in photos in his book alongside the convicted rapist mike tyson and freely admits that mohammed fayad is one of his best friends who he gets to gift things to a terminally ill girl he came across.. and calls across the favour of his ‘friend’ al fayed to let the girl have anything she wants from Harrods.
Then at his own fathers funeral, bad mouths him in his ‘eulogy’ so that members of his own family threaten to kill him and he has to flee for his own safety.
And that’s what he’s written about himself in his own book.