Ched Evans (updated update)

What are your thoughts on this bloke? I can't help thinking he's being persecuted by the media for his crime, he's served his sentence but every time he's mentioned they add the precursor 'convicted rapist' which is hardly helping his cause.

I'm not saying I would be feeling quite so benevolent if it was my Mrs that he had raped but if David Dickinson can have a TV career after being convicted of fraud, and Leslie Grantham can appear in a primetime soap for years after being involved in a murder, surely this bloke should be allowed to earn a living as well?

Being Welsh and having to earn your crust in Oldham should be more that enough punishment.

Thoughts?

Update 5th October 2015.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission have studied new evidence provided by the Evans legal team and they have referred the case to the Court of Appeal.

Further update 15th March 2016.

The appeal date has been set for 22nd March, the Evans legal team claim to have evidence not heard or seen in the original trial. The court will decide whether to uphold the original verdict, order a retrial or overturn the original verdict.

Much egg on faces imminent me thinks.

23rd March 2016.

OK, so their appealnesses have heard evidence from the Evans legal team and the CPS. The appeal was initially scheduled to be heard yesterday but it continued into today.

No decision has been reached yet as the judges wish to consider the evidence and they aim to reach a verdict in early April, in the meantime reporting restrictions remain in force.

The plot continues.

21st April 2016.

Conviction quashed in the high Court, retrial ordered.

At last justice may be served, the conviction was clearly unsafe to most fair minded people. What a pity "the man on the Clapham omnibus" doesn't work for the CPS.