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Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Britain's Got Talent finalist raped two women, grabbed them by the neck and refused to wear a condom, court hears
A former Britain's Got Talent finalist raped two young women in three months while studying opera at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music, a court heard. Andrew Johnston, 30, allegedly gripped his victims' by the throat during sex and refused to wear a condom. Bearded Johnston, who was studying for a two-year diploma in opera, denies two counts of rape and one of sexual assault. The former choirboy was 13 when he finished third on the second series of the ITV talent show in 2008. Johnston received a £1m record deal with Syco Music, a label owned by Simon Cowell, and his album 'One Voice', released in September 2008, made it to number five in the UK Charts. Wearing a smart black suit he listened intently as Maryam Syed, prosecuting, said: 'In 2008, Mr Johnston competed as a singer in the television programme Britain's Got Talent, and he did quite well in that programme. 'At the time of the allegations Mr Johnston was a student at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London. 'Mr Johnston was competing a two year diploma in opera.' Describing the first alleged assault the prosecutor said: 'The defendant removed the condom he had been wearing and the complainant noticed the change in sensation. 'She repeatedly told Mr Johnston to stop having sex with her but he made no attempt to withdraw his penis. 'The complainant then described to police that Mr Johnston then, she says, placed one hand on her neck and the other was pinning her down. 'She repeatedly told Mr Johnston on multiple occasions to stop, she managed to free her hands and slam them onto her chest. 'She told police that she began panicking and he, Mr Johnston, was not listening to her. 'She then goes on to describe, as you will see that the defendant Mr Johnston became more forceful, slamming the headboard into the wall.' Ms Syed said the complainant 'had explained to Johnston from the she did not like certain things in sexual activity because of previous bad experiences and she specifically said things like hands around the throat'. Johnston 'groped' the woman's bottom at a bar in central London three months later, the court heard. The former choirboy was 13 when he finished third on the second series of the ITV talent show in 2008 'Whilst he was there he had groped her bottom, which we say is sexual touching, dragged her by the arm and had refused to leave. 'In order to help her move him she had walked him out of the bar onto the street. 'At that point, he continued touching her, he verbally abused her, he grabbed her shoulders and her forcibly kissed her on the lips.' Ms Syed said the singer raped the second complainant after taking her to a 'sex club' in central London. 'She explained that she had asked the defendant to wear a condom which she had provided and she said the vaginal intercourse took place immediately with almost no foreplay.' Ms Syed added: 'She described how she started to feel the defendant's hands around her neck, and no matter how many times she removed them, she said the defendant Mr Johnston kept on putting his hands back around her throat. 'She told police she made multiple attempts to remove his hands but he did not remove them. 'He then stopped and removed the condom.' Johnston continued having unprotected sex with the woman, it was said. Johnston, of Newtown Road, Carlisle, denies two charges of rape and sexual assault on a female. The trial continues.
The Sun
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Britain's Got Talent finalist found NOT guilty of pinning down and raping two women while studying opera
A BRITAIN'S Got Talent finalist has been found not guilty of pinning down and raping two women. Andrew Johnston, 30, allegedly grabbed the women by the throat during sex and refused to wear a condom. 5 5 The former choirboy was 13 when he finished third on the second series of the ITV talent show in 2008. Johnston received a £1million record deal with Simon Cowell 's Syco Music record label and his album 'One Voice' made it to number five in the UK Chart. The alleged offences happened a number of years later while he was studying opera at the Royal Academy of Music. Johnston has now been found not guilty of two charges of rape and one of sexual assault. Southwark Crown Court was told during the first alleged attack, Johnston removed a condom during sex - causing his victim to beg him to stop. Despite her pleas, he was accused of carrying on and grabbing her throat while pinning her down. He also "became more forceful" and slammed the headboard into the wall as the woman began "panicking", jurors were told. During her evidence, she claimed she felt forced to stay over at Johnston's home because she was too scared to leave. She said: "It was difficult to me. I felt frozen and stuck in place. "I felt trapped and like I couldn't move. I felt stuck and anxious." Following the alleged attack, the woman bumped into Johnston on a night out where he groped her bottom and refused to leave, it was said. Jurors were told he then grabbed her by the shoulders and verbally abused her before "forcibly" kissing the woman. The court heard the second woman was allegedly attacked three months later after Johnston took her to a "sex club" in London. She told the singer to wear a condom, which Johnston was accused of removing during intercourse. Maryam Syed, prosecuting, said: "She described how she started to feel the defendant's hands around her neck, and no matter how many times she removed them, she said the defendant Mr Johnston kept on putting his hands back around her throat. "She made, she told police, multiple attempts to remove his hands but he did not remove them." Johnston accused both women of telling "a pack of lies" in his own evidence. The singer described his style of sex as "fast, energetic, maybe a bit passionate" but told the jury he was never aggressive, always used a condom and that the sex was consensual. Johnston also told jurors he has "never sung a note" since the allegations were made against him. 5 5 5
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Britain's Got Talent finalist says his lovemaking is 'fast, energetic, maybe a bit passionate' as he denies raping two women
A former Britain's Got Talent finalist accused of raping two women has described his sex in court as 'fast, energetic, maybe a pit passionate' but claims his relationships have always been consensual. Andrew Johnston, 30, who shot to fame on the show as a choirboy who came third in the final, allegedly gripped both his victims by the throat and refused to wear a condom. Johnston, who was studying for a two year diploma in opera at the Royal Academy of Music at the time, denies two counts of rape and one of sexual assault. He gave evidence at Southwark Crown Court today wearing a grey suit and a black tie - even appearing to hold back tears at time. Former choirboy Johnston was just 13 when he finished in third behind dancer George Sampson on the second series of the ITV talent show in 2008. Johnston won a £1 million record deal with Syco Music, a label owned by Simon Cowell, and his album 'One Voice', released in September 2008, made it to number five in the UK charts. He explained that after he had met the first complainant they agreed to go for coffee. 'We went for a couple of coffees. I invited her round to my Marylebone flat. That is the first time we slept together.' 'Was the sex always consensual?', asked Rupert Kent, defending. Johnston replied: 'Absolutely consensual, yes'. He said that on another occasion he turned up drunk at the woman's flat, and he ended up sleep walking out of the flat. 'I have never sleep walked in my life. That is the first time I have ever sleep walked.' He said that he and the woman had sex the following day 'possibly more than once.' 'Do you remember whether a condom was used?', asked Mr Kent. 'A condom was used, yes', Johnston replied. 'I never put my hands anywhere near her neck. My hands were a little above her shoulders... I never held her arms down. She never told me to stop at any point during the intercourse.' 'Do you remember whether she slammed on your chest?', asked Mr Kent. 'She never slammed on my chest', he replied. Mr Kent asked the singer: 'Did you ever apologise to her?' Johnston replied: 'I never apologised because I never did anything wrong. I never saw any blood. She never mentioned any bleeding at all'. However, he accepted that the sex had been 'energetic'. 'I was energetic, fast, I was attracted to her. I was a bit passionate. I was never aggressive towards her at all. I wore a condom at all times.' He accepted that he had been messaging a lot of different women at this time, including a friend of the first woman. 'It was stupid, immature. I probably hurt people's feelings. I wasn't wanting anything more permanent at the time. I should have been more open that I wasn't.' He said that he met the second complainant on the dating app Hinge, and that they met up at a bar. 'We had a really interesting conversation. We got on really well.' He said that she invited him back to her flat. 'We started kissing. I was getting unchanged, she was getting unchanged. We then just began to have sex.' He said that the sex lasted about four or five minutes. 'I never removed the condom. I did not remove the condom.' 'At any point did you hold her around the throat?', asked Mr Kent. 'I did not, no', replied Johnston. 'Did you get a sense that she wanted you to stop?' 'No, not at all'. He said that a few days later the woman invited him to her flat and offered to cook him meatballs, but that he stood her up. 'I stood her up. It wasn't nice. I was seeing quite a few people at the time, that's why I didn't communicate.' Johnston told the jury he has 'never sung a note' since the allegations were made against him and he has suffered from depression, his mental health is 'terrible' and he has broken up with a girlfriend. Giving evidence in court yesterday, his second alleged victim told how she initially was having consensual sex with Johnston, before he placed his hands around her neck and removed the condom without permission. In her police interview, she said she moved his hands away as he was 'actively grabbing' towards her throat and she was 'trying to insinuate that this is not OK'. At some point he stopped and removed the condom, and carried on having sex, the court heard. On the suggestion it should have been immediately obvious she had been raped, the woman said: 'No, I think it takes time to work out.' She added: 'I wanted to gloss over it. I wanted to be able to move on and not to be dealing with years of the aftermath of this.' The victim said she had asked to meet with Johnston after the incident to discuss it. Johnston, of Carlisle, denies two charges of rape and one of sexual assault on a female.
Perth Now
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall 'sold her soul' for fame: 'I just signed on the dotted line...'
Jade Thirlwall thinks she possibly "sold her soul" for fame. The 32-year-old pop star was in her late teens when she won the UK version of 'The X Factor' alongside Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson as part of Little Mix, but admitted that she just "signed on the dotted line" without really thinking about it. Speaking on an upcoming episode of 'The Assembly' - in which all questions are asked by neurodivergent individuals - she was asked whether she felt as if she had "sold her soul" and replied: "You've trumped me ... Maybe a little bit in the beginning. "I was so young and I just signed on the dotted line. 'But as the years have gone by I've learned more and more about the industry. 'I've been collecting — a bit like [Marvel superhero] Thanos with the stones — I've been collecting parts of my soul back as I've gained more creative freedom." The 'IT Girl' hitmaker also admitted that she thinks the kind of way in which she became famous has been and gone but she is not entirely sure that music mogul Simon Cowell - who created 'The X Factor' and the 'Got Talent' franchises, and also headed up Syco Music - is going anywhere. She said: "I think it's the end of that kind of TV show or music label. "I think it's the end of that era. 'But I don't know if Simon Cowell specifically has ended.' It was suggested previously that the lyric 'sold my soul to a psycho' from her 'Angel of my Dreams' track was a dig at Simon but Jade later clarified in an interview that that was not necessarily the case. She told Beat magazine: 'It's not specifically about that. 'But I wanted the song to be my journey, from entering the music business to now, and what that's felt like. That's why the song feels so chaotic. 'The opening is like the music to that montage bit on The X Factor after you've won, and you're just catapulted into the industry.' She added: 'I don't want to sit here and bash the last 13 years of my life. I'm very happy and content. But like with any job, there are highs and lows. That's just life, and it's my reality, but it's about writing it in a way that's not woe is me.'
Daily Mail
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Britain's Got Talent finalist left woman feeling 'upset, distraught and needing help' after raping her, court hears
A former Britain's Got Talent finalist left a woman 'upset, distraught and needing help' after he raped her, a court has heard. Andrew Johnston, 30, was 13 when he finished third on the second series of the ITV talent show in 2008, competing as a boy soprano. He received a £1million record deal with Syco Music, Simon Cowell's label, and his album One Voice, released in September 2008, made it to number five in the UK Charts. Some years later, it is alleged he raped two young women in three months while studying for a two-year diploma in opera at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music. The former choirboy, from Carlisle, who is accused of gripping his victims by the throat during sex and refusing to wear a condom, denies two counts of rape and one of sexual assault. One woman told London 's Southwark Crown Court today she asked Johnston seven times to stop, after he slipped a condom off during sex without telling her. But she said he only finally stopped when she 'yelled' it an eighth time and 'slammed' him hard in the chest. She discussed it with her flatmate at the time, via Facebook Messenger and in person, who told the jury today she was left 'upset, distraught and needing help' after the terrifying ordeal. The young woman messaged her flatmate: 'We were in the middle of having sex and he took the condom off without telling me. Obviously I could feel the difference. 'I told him to stop. He did not. I told him again. He did not. I said it another five times. He did not.' She added she had told Johnston: 'When I say stop, you have to stop.' The woman continued: 'I stayed the night like a n***e when I should have had enough respect to leave and go home but at the moment I was like, "This is normal".' The flatmate replied: 'What he did is unacceptable'. Within two days of the alleged attack, the pair spoke about it in person in their home in 'a very serious discussion', the flatmate said. He told the jury: 'She was very upset. She is somebody that is fundamentally positive and optimistic. I think that the severity of what had happened to her was sinking in.' Last week, Johnston, wearing a smart black suit, listened as prosecutor Maryam Syed described what is said to have happened after the woman noticed he removed the condom. The lawyer said: 'She repeatedly told Mr Johnston to stop having sex with her but he made no attempt to withdraw his penis.' He then 'placed one hand on her neck and the other was pinning her down', as she continued to 'repeatedly' tell him to stop - before 'she managed to free her hands' to shove him. The woman 'began panicking' - but Johnston 'was not listening to her' and 'became more forceful, slamming the headboard into the wall'. Ms Syed said the complainant 'had explained to Johnston from the outset... that she did not like certain things in sexual activity because of previous bad experiences and she specifically said things like hands around the throat'. Johnston, who the lawyer noted 'did quite well' on Britain's Got Talent, 'groped' the woman's bottom at a bar in central London three months later. He also 'dragged her by the arm and had refused to leave'. Ms Syed continued: 'To help her move him, she had walked him out of the bar onto the street. 'At that point, he continued touching her, he verbally abused her, he grabbed her shoulders and her forcibly kissed her on the lips.' The lawyer said the singer raped the second woman after taking her to a 'sex club' in central London. The woman had asked Johnston to wear a condom, which she provided: 'She said the vaginal intercourse took place immediately with almost no foreplay.' Ms Syed added: 'She started to feel the defendant's hands around her neck, and no matter how many times she removed them, she said the defendant Mr Johnston kept on putting his hands back around her throat. 'She told police she made multiple attempts to remove his hands but he did not remove them. He then stopped and removed the condom.' Johnston continued having unprotected sex with the woman, it was said.
