American pilot found not guilty of abducting 9 year old girl outside Harrods.

[MeAgainAndAgain]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly2xv1yx83o.amp

This really surprised me, the write up I read last week sounded very clear cut. Anyone else heard about it?

There is an old saying "There is no smoke without fire". I am a 77 year old man and if I found a distressed 13 year old girl I'd phone the police straight away. Why was he walking arround with her?

I was so shocked at this verdict and really confused, didn't the child say he took her to a park and kissed her or tried to? Why would a child say that?

I've found a lost child before and there is no way I would have brought her to my house, what was he thinking?

Just seen this at the bottom of the article so I'm guessing this is the same man which makes it even worse.

On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police arrested a 57-year-old man at Isleworth Crown Court on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children.

I found it odd and all the articles I read seemed contradictory in one way or another ? He was ‘of no fixed address’ yet had allegedly taken her back to his flat? So did he have a flat or not ?
Also the Benadryl yet they found no trace of it and then the fact the jury had to specifically ask was there any dna evidence of SA? Surely that would have been made clear prior to that point? It’s extremely strange

Yes it must be how awful

And the fact that he took her from a flat, presumably where no one could see, to Hyde Park to SA her?

Yes ? It’s extremely strange I felt very uneasy and confused reading about it. Thank goodness she was ok

Looks like the evidence was not strong enough to not be contradicted.

The police seem to have slipped up massively.

Sounds like there was insufficient evidence but they’ve potentially got him on something else at least

Jurors frequently get it wrong in sexual assault cases. There isn’t always dna evidence and it can come down to one persons word against another.
Bizarrely many of the public focus on the tiny percentage of false claims vs the huge percentage of victims who daren’t even make a report knowing how they will likely be treated in court. Misogyny and sexist attitudes prevail amongst many male and female jurors and judges.
Poor child.
Clearly this man has a sexual interest in children and the police are now holding him on the other charge.

There's no innocent explanation for taking a lost child from a busy area with lots of shop staff, security guards and police officers to a flat. None.

Another article said he was in the UK for an interview so the flat was probably an Airbnb/holiday let and he now has no fixed abode in the UK.

The jury seemed to have reached a verdict in just over an hour which isn't that long - it seems like some of the jurors were challenging lack of forensics which swung the others, but the whole thing is bizarre, why didn't he just ask harrods security for help?

Oh that wasn’t there earlier.

I wonder how old his daughters are?

why didn't he just ask harrods security for help?

Because he chose to abduct the child instead.