Craig McLachlan’s next move after not guilty verdict
Actor Craig McLachlan is moving to pursue his claim for defamation just hours after he was found to be not guilty of indecently assaulting four women during production of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Magistrate Belinda Wallington acquitted the actor of all 13 indecent and common law assault charges in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.
McLachlan watched the verdicts being handed down on a video link from a Sydney office, while his partner Vanessa Scammell also watched on in the room.
"We've maintained a dignified and a respectful silence for the past almost three years and put our trust in the law and here we are today," McLachlan said afterwards.
The magistrate said the four female complainants were "brave and honest witnesses" and did not consent to multiple incidents of inappropriate touching.
However, she said that prosecutors could not prove the crimes had occurred and that Mclachlan's "egotistical, self-entitled sense of humour" may have led him to believe they were consenting.
McLachlan has sued the ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers, and Christie Whelan-Browne for defamation in NSW, when allegations against him were first reported.