A 23-year old former Sheffield United and Wales footballer,Ched Evans, who had been jailed for raping a 19-year-old girl his hometown of Rhyl, Wales in 2012 was released on Friday, October 17, 2014, after serving half of a five-year sentence in Wymott prison, Lancashire.
Barely two weeks after his release, the ex-convict’s took a bold step and proposed to his fiancée Natasha Massey which went viral on Monday, November 3, 2014.
It was learnt that Massey had been campaigning against his conviction since 2012 and stood by him through the thick and thin of his terms in jail since 2012.
In a video statement recently released by the striker, he apologised to his fiancee who was seated right beside him describing her as ‘the woman I love with all my heart’.
Although he maintained that he was absolutely innocent and his family, friends and many who know the true facts of the case believe that his conviction was a gross miscarriage of justice.
He said, “I’ve constantly regretted my act of infidelity and the damage that has been done on so many fronts because of it.
“The support that’s been shown by Natasha, our friends and family during the trial and the time spent in prison has kept me strong. It can’t have been an easy thing to stand by someone who the court found guilty of such a destructive act. I will be forever grateful. Even though I’ve been released from prison I’m determined to continue to fight to clear my name”.
The supposed ‘engagement’ ring which Massey wore in the video is now believed to be a ‘commitment ring’ given to her by her fiance while he was still behind the bars.
She was over the moon’ and ‘smiling from ear to ear’ a source revealed.
Shortly before his release, Massey posted a video statement on the ChedEvans.com website. She said, ‘Not a minute passes when I don’t think about Ched, his mental and physical strength is admirable and keeps us all positive….”
According to Daily Mail reports, Evans’s own family have criticised his lack of remorse, with his aunt Nina Evans, 56, urging him to apologise to his victim.
‘He deserved to go down as he was found guilty – he did rape her, his aunt maintained.’
Besides, the victim’s father who had demanded apology from his daughters rapist said, ‘He’s shown no remorse and every time he makes some fresh appeal or comment, he draws attention to my daughter and risks her being identified and found.
‘She went into hiding because people were trying to track her down and kill her.’
The case is currently being handled by the Criminal Cases Review Commission is meanwhile, he has not been re-signed by his former club or any other team since his release.
