Portsmouth student cleared of rape after third trial results in not guilty verdict
Waleed Alharbi was tried three times for the rape of a woman at his student flat in Portsmouth.
A student who was previously convicted of rape has been cleared after a third trial
Waleed Alharbi, 26, of Saudi Arabia, faced three separate trials over allegations involving a woman he met at a Portsmouth nightclub.
In December 2025, a jury found Alharbi guilty of rape and attempted rape at his student flat. However, the conviction was later ruled unsafe after it emerged jurors had been shown interview footage from the complainant that should not have been provided during deliberations.
The Court of Appeal ordered a retrial, but a second jury was unable to reach verdicts.
In a third trial at Winchester Crown Court, jurors found Alharbi not guilty of both charges after four hours of deliberation.
The court previously heard that Alharbi met the woman at Astoria nightclub before the pair left together in the early hours of 28 June 2025. Prosecutors said he carried the intoxicated woman for part of the journey back to his shared apartment in Greetham Street.
Alharbi, a language school student, maintained that the sexual encounter was consensual. Prior to being found not guilty, he had spent 11 months in custody, despite having no previous convictions.
The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed the case is now closed.