Jackson exiting the courthouse following the not guilty verdict earlier in the week.

Jackson exiting the courthouse following the not guilty verdict earlier in the week.

TWO PEOPLE HAVE been questioned by police in the North, over allegedly naming the complainant in the Belfast rugby rape trial.

A spokesperson for the PSNI confirmed to TheJournal.ie that a police investigation is ongoing into these matters.

In rape trials in the UK and Ireland, it is an offence to publish the names of complainants as they are entitled to anonymity.

However, during the 9-week trial the supposed name of the woman was mentioned a number of times on social media. Furthermore, photos said to be of that woman were distributed online, using services such as Whatsapp.

The pair questioned by the PSNI were interviewed in relation to an offence under Section 5 of the UK’s Sexual Offences Amendment Act 1992, which prohibits the naming of a rape complainant.

Files have been submitted to the Public Prosecution Service for consideration.

All four men accused in the case – Paddy Jackson (26), Stuart Olding (24), Blane McIlroy (26) and Rory Harrison (25) – were found not guilty of all charges following over three hours of deliberations by a jury in Belfast on Wednesday.

Jackson and Olding were found not guilty of rape – with Jackson found not guilty of an additional charge of sexual assault – while McIlroy was found not guilty of exposure, and Harrison found not guilty of withholding information and perverting the course of justice.

In a statement read following the verdict, Paddy Jackson’s solicitor was critical of the role social media played in the trial.

Joe McVeigh said: “Vile commentary expressed on social media going well beyond fair comment has polluted the sphere of public discourse and raised real concerns about the integrity of the trial process.