The “Coronation Street” actor was cleared of accusations that stemmed back from the '60s

Feb 6, 2014 13:25 GMT  ·  By

The British actor Bill Roache was found not guilty of child molestation, after jurors unanimously acquitted him in court today.

The 81-year-old actor, who is famous for his role on the TV soap “Coronation Street,” was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying that he was “looking forward to get back to work,” as he made his way out of the courtroom amidst cheers and claps from people present at the scene.

Roache was famously accused of molestation of children and indecent assault. The case alleged that he had used his fame and popularity to trick “starstruck” young women under the age of 16 to engage in indecent acts.

Right from the start, Roache has stated his innocence in the matter and blamed the entire mass hysteria on the Jimmy Savile scandal. He claims that all allegations were made by “money-grabbing women” who made false accusations against him.

As he stepped out of the courthouse, he was greeted by members of the media who wanted to get his opinion on the matter. A teary-eyed Roache explained that in this case “there are no winners,” but let people just how much he was affected by the outcome of the case.

The cast of “Coronation Street,” of which Roache has been a member ever since the first episode aired in 1960, were relieved at the news of the verdict and rushed to give supporting messages to the veteran actor, calling the outcome of the trial “justice.”

The jury assigned to the case took 5 hours and 59 minutes of deliberating to reach their “not guilty verdict,” which was delivered in court at 11:19 am, before a very shaken Roache, who was asked to stand up in the defendant's box.

And while the actor has expressed his wish to return to work as soon as possible, there are some questions floating around about his part on “Coronation Street.” ITV, the TV network that airs the show, has released a statement in which they said they were eager to have a chat with Roache: “We look forward to talking to Bill soon about his return to work.”