Fleetwood striker Ched Evans suing lawyers for lost earnings after rape conviction overturned

Welsh international and Fleetwood footballer Ched Evans is suing lawyers who represented him in a rape case before he was cleared following an appeal, in a bid to recoup millions in lost earnings.
Picture: Ben Birchall/PA WirePicture: Ben Birchall/PA Wire
Picture: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

The former Manchester City and Sheffield United player, 29, went through a five-year battle to clear his name having served two and a half years in jail.

Evans, on loan with Fleetwood Town, is seeking damages from Brabners, the legal firm which he used in the first trial.

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At the time, he was playing for Sheffield United and was earning a reported £18,000 a week.

According to reports, the civil case against Brabners will be heard at the High Court in April.

The firm responded saying the case was without merit.

In a statement they said: "Brabners put forward a strong defence of the criminal case against Ched Evans following a thorough process and we are vigorously defending our handling of the case.

"We believe the claim for damages is entirely without merit."

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Evans was originally convicted following a trial of raping a 19-year-old in a Premier Inn near Rhyl, North Wales, in May 2011.

But the Court of Appeal quashed his conviction and ordered a retrial in 2016.

Private investigators gathered new evidence, with a £50,000 reward offered for information to help his case.

In a rare move, the jury at Cardiff Crown Court heard from two men who had sex with the complainant around the time of the rape allegation.

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The jury of seven women and five men took less than three hours to find Mr Evans not guilty of the charge following the eight-day trial.

After the verdict, Mr Evans said he was "overwhelmed with relief".