Roy Harper cleared of 2nd indecent assault charge

By Scott Munro
published

But he could face retrial on five other allegations of sexual abuse after jurors fail to reach verdicts

Folk icon Roy Harper has been found not guilty on one count of indecently assaulting an 11-year-old in the 1970s.

Earlier this week, the 73-year-old was acquitted by a unanimous jury decision of indecently assaulting a 16-year-old in the 1980s.

But he could face a retrial after jurors at Worcester Crown Court failed to reach majority verdicts on two further counts of indecent assault, two of indecency with a child, and one of having sex with a child.

Judge Robert Juckes QC discharged the jury and gave prosecutors two weeks to consider whether to seek a retrial on the remaining charges. All relate to the 11-year-old.

Harper, who vigorously denies the allegations, is best known for his contribution to Pink Floyd track Have A Cigar, while Led Zeppelin, who cited him as an influence, wrote Hats Off To (Roy) Harper as a tribute. He’s also been namechecked by artists including Kate Bush, the Who and Jethro Tull.

Scott Munro
Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers and magazines as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. After initially joining our news desk in the summer of 2014, he moved to the e-commerce team full-time in 2020. He maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott grew up listening to rock and prog, cutting his teeth on bands such as Marillion and Magnum before his focus shifted to alternative and post-punk in the late 80s. His favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Drab Majesty, but he also still has a deep love of Rush.