A jury has convicted a West End musical star of rape and attempted rape following more than 11 hours of deliberation at Wood Green Crown Court.
Ross Davidson, 37, who performed under the stage name Ross Wild, was found guilty on all charges relating to attacks on two women he had met through the dating app Tinder. The Finchley resident had denied the offences throughout the trial.
Davidson gained recognition in theatrical circles for his role in the Queen-themed production We Will Rock You and briefly performed with 1980s pop group Spandau Ballet during 2018.
The court heard evidence concerning two separate incidents. The first involved the rape of a woman at Davidson’s London residence in March 2015. The second related to the attempted rape and sexual assault of another woman in Thailand during December 2019.
Both complainants had initially connected with Davidson through the online dating platform. Throughout the proceedings, he maintained that all sexual encounters were consensual.
During testimony, the first victim described waking to discover Davidson assaulting her as she slept in his bed. She told jurors she felt “helpless” and “scared to react” during the attack.
The court was informed that Davidson had previously discussed with this woman his interest in sexual activity involving “a person in a helpless state, someone not moving”.
Prosecutor Richard Hearnden told the court that while Davidson may have been regarded as “a bit of a sex symbol”, the two women discovered he possessed “a much darker side that they did not notice, at least at first”.
In his defence, Davidson characterised himself as “sex positive”, which he explained meant maintaining “open dialogue” and being “open minded about people’s predilections”.
In addition to the rape convictions, Davidson had earlier entered a guilty plea to voyeurism against the Thailand victim. This charge related to secretly recording video footage of her while she slept in December 2019.
Davidson will be sentenced at a later date.
