Soccer rapist Ched Evans goes home, time for a party? Fury as bouncy-castle van arrives just hours after footballer is released from jail
- Former professional footballer Ched Evans, 25, freed from jail this morning
- Striker jumped into silver Mercedes 4x4 before 5am and was driven away
- His mother then went on Twitter to say she is pleased he is home
- A bouncy castle later arrived at the family home, but was then sent away
- A statement on the player's website said he is now 'adjusting to normal life'
- Evans says he will make 'personal and profound statement' next week
- Comments provoke anger among campaigners who brand them an insult
- Evans is halfway through five-year sentence for raping a teenager
- His former team Sheffield United have yet to make a decision on his return
Campaigners
have slammed an 'unrepentant' statement put out by rapist footballer
Ched Evans after he walked free from prison today.
The
former Sheffield United striker was released from jail early this
morning after he served two and a half years of a five-year sentence he
was given for raping a 19-year-old girl.
But
an apparently unapologetic statement he later released in which he
continued to protest his innocence and thanked his 'thousands' of
supporters has caused anger among campaigners for victims of sexual
violence.
The row came as delivery men brought a bouncy castle to Evans's family home, just hours after his release.
Evans
released the controversial statement after he was whisked away from
Wymott Prison near Leyland in Lancashire in the early hours of this
morning.
The
statement read: 'Next week Ched will make a very personal and profound
statement by video which will be on his site and available for use by
the media should they choose to do so.
'Ched is now adjusting to normal life after serving a sentence for a crime consistently denied.
'Whilst we understand the media interest, we would respectfully request some privacy over the next few weeks.
Ched would
like to thank, prior to the video statement, the thousands of people
from all walks of life who have supported him and believe in him.'
But his comments caused fury among campaigners, who say they are an insult to his victim.
Jill
Saward, who was raped in the notorious Ealing Vicarage case in 1986 and
has since campaigned for sexual violence victims, told MailOnline:
'Ched Evans is sticking two fingers up at the victim and the law.
‘There is no rehabilitation, there's no repentance. He is just sucking up to people who don't understand what rape is.'
The footballer's girlfriend Natasha Massey (right) denies he was ever guilty of rape
Ms
Saward added: 'The court found him guilty of rape and what he did is
rape. Just because he doesn't consider it rape, doesn't make any
difference.
'He
wants the law to say what he feels it should, but the law doesn't work
like that - the moment he realises that is the moment he might accept
that he is a rapist.
'There
are lots of people who stand by him because they do not understand what
rape is and the impact of rape but he and they do not realise the
damage they are doing to their credibility.'
Wellwishers
were seen visiting Evans's family home in Rhyl, north Wales, this
afternoon before a firm attempted to deliver a bouncy castle to the
address.
After
family members saw the bouncy castle being photographed, the delivery
men went into the house for discussions before mysteriously packing the
party feature back into their van and driving off.
It is not known whether Evans is at the address or whether the bouncy castle was intended for some sort of family celebration.
Former Wales international Evans was released from Wymott Prison shortly before 5am this morning.
He jumped into the back of a silver 4x4 with blacked-out windows which pulled up to the prison gates at 4.58am.
Evans
was driven away after a Mercedes ML reversed down to the prison gates
to pick him up. He will serve the rest of his sentence on licence.
An onlooker
said: 'It was a synchronised movement. The Mercedes turned up and then
parked up down the road. It then reversed back at speed towards the jail
exit.
'Then the prison door opened and the back door of the car opened. Ched then dived in the back and the car sped off.'
His
mother, Ms Roberts, wrote on Twitter: 'Thank you to every single person
that has supported, took abuse and argued for Ched and my family it
really has helped keep us strong. xxx'
When glamour model Nicola McLean wrote 'you must be so happy to have him home', Ms Roberts replied: 'Yes I am. Thank you xx'
Evans's
release comes amid an angry row over the once-promising footballer's
conviction and whether he should be allowed to play the professional
game again.
TV
presenter Judy Finnigan was attacked over the issue earlier this week
after she said Evans should be allowed to return to his job and
described his attack as 'not violent'.
Campaigners have gathered more than 100,000 signatures on a petition calling for him to prevented from returning to football.
But
in a 600-word statement, Evans's family hit out at the organisers of
the petition and the media for what they claim was 'sensationalist and
often factually incorrect' reporting of the case.
The
statement, posted on a website set up in a bid to clear Evans' name,
said the family had always sought to satisfy an 'insatiable and hungry
media society' with interviews proclaiming his innocence.
But
the family complained resulting coverage 'often has little or no
resemblance to the full interview' adding: 'The media clearly have an
agenda and have edited or cut to satisfy that agenda no matter what was
said in the interview.'
ITV1's
This Morning was not specifically mentioned in the family's statement,
but Evans' girlfriend Natasha Massey, whose millionaire father
bankrolled the campaign, and his sister Kylie appeared on the programme
in the wake of Miss Finnigan's comments.
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