A FORMER Bradford man wept tears of relief after a jury cleared him of raping a young woman after a party.

The jury of 10 women and two men took less than half an hour to decide Michael McCallion was innocent.

Mr McCallion, 30, gasped, clenched his fists and quietly repeated “yes, yes,” as the jury’s unanimous not guilty verdict was returned.

He was acquitted after a three-day trial at Bradford Crown Court, having pleaded not guilty to the charge.

It had been alleged by prosecutor Jayne Beckett that Mr McCallion, formerly of Lower Grange, Bradford, but now living at Farfield Road, Bridlington, had raped the woman on a couch at a flat after they met up at a house party in the city, in the early hours of December 1, 2012.

Mrs Beckett said Mr McCallion and the complainant were friendly before he left Bradford and had kept in touch by text and Facebook.

The prosecutor said Mr McCallion was drunk and kept asking the woman to be in a relationship with him.

Mr McCallion, giving evidence to the jury, admitted there had been some consensual sexual activity, but said intercourse did not take place.

His barrister, Stephen Couch, said the woman had drunk quite a lot, there was some flirting and she had happily sat talking next to him.

Mr Couch said the complainant said she objected to everything, but his client certainly had not raped her. He told the jury: “None of us will ever know what happened that night. Something happened. What was it?” He added that the jury could not be sure that sex took place and the only verdict was not guilty.

Mr McCallion left the courtroom in tears.