Laurence Dollimore
A BRITISH expat who was sent back to the UK to face child rape charges has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
Craig Shaw was extradited from Benidorm to stand trial for allegedly raping two young boys and sexually abusing another.
Another two molestation charges were added to the trial when the 38-year-old arrived back in Swindon from the Costa Blanca.
But after a three week trial at Swindon Crown Court a jury of six men and six women found him not guilty of 30 of the 31 charges he faced.
The jury could not reach a verdict on the final count leading prosecutors to say they would not seek a retrial.
Shaw will be free to return to Spain.
The jury deliberated for more than 12 hours before returning their decisions.
Shaw allegedly started abusing the first child in autumn of 2007, when the boy was aged 12.
It is said the alleged offending continued to March 2009, when he was 14, and included a number of incidents of rape.
The expat was also accused of raping the young boy’s older brother on three occasions in the year up to October 2009.
The third set of allegations relate to him twice having sexual activity with a 15-year-old boy in the second half of 2008.
The 20 counts relating to the three complainants, who are all now adults, were said to have taken place in Swindon and Blackpool.
Shaw denied six counts of rape, 17 of sexual activity with a child, two sexual assault, and six of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
He served six months behind bars on remand following his extradition, but was released on bail before Christmas after time limits ran out.
A judge ruled that prosecutors had not acted correctly in preparing the case meaning his detention could not be justified to go on after six months.
Shaw, who lived on Calle Londres in Benidorm, pleaded not guilty to all of the counts.
