Staffordshire Police have dropped a child sex abuse investigation into two further Coronation Street actors after they were unable to trace the alleged victims.
The men, who have not been identified, were investigated for seven months over claims they had abused two young girls in a hotel room in 2008.
The news comes just a week after Coronation Street veteran Bill Roache, 81, was cleared of raping teenage girls, and only a few months after co-star Michael Le Vell, 49, was acquitted of sexual offences against a teenager.
The jury took less than six hours to reject allegations made by five women dating back almost half a century, leading to claims the case had been brought as part of a 'celebrity witch-hunt'.
Roache's QC said the 'spectre' of Jimmy Savile had haunted the inquiry since the start and led police to single out the actor for unfair treatment due to his celebrity status.
In September last year Michael Le Vell, who has played Kevin Webster on the soap for 30 years, was found not guilty of child sex offences.
The jury took under five hours to clear him of charges he had earlier said left him 'fighting for my life'.
There's better Soap Opera off-stage than on-stage at Coronation Street.
It's also less than a week since police announced that they were investigating Neville Buswell, who plays Ray Langton on Coronation Street, for claims that he sexually assaulted a 12 year old girl in his dressing room. The allegations came out of the Bill Roache trial.
Greater Manchester Police originally launched an investigation into the two unidentified men after a third party alleged they had sexually abused two young girls in a hotel room in Staffordshire years ago.
A man came forward to claim he had seen two actors from the ITV1 soap in a bed at 7am with two girls aged between ten and 12.
The claims were then passed over to Staffordshire Police due to the location of the alleged offence, and officers there conducted a seven-month investigation, although it is understood the actors were never formally questioned.
According to The Sun, the case was dropped earlier this week after the alleged victims were unable to be traced.
A source told the newspaper's Richard Moriarty: 'They didn't have any names and the alleged offence took place years ago. The two actors were aware of the allegations but always said they were nonsense. It's been hanging over them for seven months and they're glad to put it behind them.'
A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police told MailOnline: 'Our inquiries have concluded. No criminal offences have been established.'
The men, who have not been identified, were investigated for seven months over claims they had abused two young girls in a hotel room in 2008.
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| Bill Roache |
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| Michael Le Vell |
The jury took less than six hours to reject allegations made by five women dating back almost half a century, leading to claims the case had been brought as part of a 'celebrity witch-hunt'.
Roache's QC said the 'spectre' of Jimmy Savile had haunted the inquiry since the start and led police to single out the actor for unfair treatment due to his celebrity status.
In September last year Michael Le Vell, who has played Kevin Webster on the soap for 30 years, was found not guilty of child sex offences.
The jury took under five hours to clear him of charges he had earlier said left him 'fighting for my life'.
There's better Soap Opera off-stage than on-stage at Coronation Street.
It's also less than a week since police announced that they were investigating Neville Buswell, who plays Ray Langton on Coronation Street, for claims that he sexually assaulted a 12 year old girl in his dressing room. The allegations came out of the Bill Roache trial.
 |
| Neville Buswell |
A man came forward to claim he had seen two actors from the ITV1 soap in a bed at 7am with two girls aged between ten and 12.
The claims were then passed over to Staffordshire Police due to the location of the alleged offence, and officers there conducted a seven-month investigation, although it is understood the actors were never formally questioned.
According to The Sun, the case was dropped earlier this week after the alleged victims were unable to be traced.
A source told the newspaper's Richard Moriarty: 'They didn't have any names and the alleged offence took place years ago. The two actors were aware of the allegations but always said they were nonsense. It's been hanging over them for seven months and they're glad to put it behind them.'
A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police told MailOnline: 'Our inquiries have concluded. No criminal offences have been established.'
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