A MAN accused of raping Big Brother star Lesley Sanderson will not be prosecuted.
Young dad Gary Brownsword, 24, underwent a six-month ordeal after being arrested when celebrity wannabe Lesley, 20, of Skelmanthorpe, said she had been attacked.
Lesley, a housemate in last year's Channel 4 reality show, said she had been raped in her hotel room.
But after a detailed investigation by police and the Crown Prosecution Service it has been decided that no further action should be taken over the allegation.
After hearing the CPS decision, Mr Brownsword, from Leeds, said: "Thank God. I was in a right state when the police came to see me and told me they wanted to question me about theft from her - and also rape."
Mr Brownsword refused to discuss the case any further, saying it was too painful.
Detective Superintendent Paul Taylor, who led the investigation, said in a statement: "Police carried out a full investigation and a file was submitted to the CPS."
He added that a man arrested on suspicion of a serious sex offence and theft had now been released from his bail.
Lesley, who waived her right to anonymity to talk to a national newspaper, refused to comment.
She is now back living with her parents in Skelmanthorpe.
She had been suffering from severe depression.
Her worried father, Paul, asked for her to be left alone, saying: "She is too distressed to talk, she has been that depressed."
The Big Brother contestant had said she was raped in her room at The Golden Lion pub in Leeds city centre early on September 21 last year.
