A RENTON teenager wept yesterday as he was cleared of raping a young woman in a park.

Stephen Graham, 17, was acquitted after a jury returned a not proven verdict following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

He had been accused of a sex attack on a 19 year-old woman at Balloch Country Park on May 7, 2013.

Mr Graham – who denied the rape accusation – broke down in tears following the verdict.

There were also loud cries of ‘yes’ from family members sitting in the public benches.

The weeping teenager was hugged by relatives after he left the dock.

A jury previously heard how the young woman had been at the park with friends before meeting up with Graham and others.

All of them were drinking.

There was evidence she had messaged Mr Graham on Facebook asking if he was going to the park and put a dozen kisses at the end.

But when asked about this by advocate depute Stephen O’Rourke, prosecuting, she replied: “It doesn’t mean anything. I always put a lot of kisses.” She claimed she was raped by Mr Graham after she left the group sitting at picnic benches to do the toilet.

The woman alleged he followed her and then forced himself on her.

She said: “I was trying to squeeze my legs together so he couldn’t do anything, but it didn’t work.” Mr Graham admitted having sex with the girl, but stated it was consensual.

The girl denied this saying: “I found him a bit spooky.” Defence counsel Margaret Breslin asked the girl: “What would you say if I told you one of your friends describes you as ‘winching’ Mr Graham,” and she replied: “She’s wrong.” She also said: “I was gay, but I was too scared to come out to my family.” She admitted she had a boyfriend at the time, but said: “I just had a boyfriend as a cover up.” The court earlier heard from community police officer Christopher Galloway who said he had handed out a fixed penalty fine to the woman for having alcohol in the park.

He described her and Mr Graham as ‘being like boyfriend and girlfriend.’