Jonathan King wins official inquiry into his child sex convictions

Former pop mogul Jonathan King has won the right to a review of his child sex convictions after he produced new evidence. King was convicted of cruising London's streets in his Rolls Royce looking for teenage boys, luring them to his home and sexually assaulting them. But his case will now be re-examined by the independent Criminal Cases Review Commission. The development is a big boost for King, 61, in his bid to have his convictions quashed. A high number of cases referred to the Court of Appeal with the CCRC's backing result in convictions being overturned.

Multi-millionaire King served half of a seven-year sentence for buggery, attempted buggery and four counts of indecent assault against five boys aged between 13 and 15 in the mid 80s. In a statement on his website, King said: "I am delighted that the CCRC has now reopened my case. I hope, at last, to be able to prove my innocence." [...]

King, who was convicted by an Old Bailey jury in 2001, now claims he was in America when it was supposedly proven he had tried to sexually assault a 14-year-old at his London home. He said: "Since being released, I have been able, with great difficulty, to assemble evidence which proves that I was in New York on the very day that I was supposedly indecently assaulting a youth in my house in London."

source: Article 'Jonathan King wins official inquiry into his child sex convictions'; www.lse.co.uk/ShowStory.asp?story=KI2922065D&news_headline=jonathan_king_wins_official_inquiry_into_his_child_sex_convictions; Life Style Extra; 29 January 2006