Nine New Arrests After Rape Victim Named

Nine more people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the naming on Twitter of footballer Ched Evans' rape victim.

Welsh police took three men and three women into custody after carrying out early morning raids on Tuesday in the Rhyl, Prestatyn, and Llanddulas areas of North Wales.

Later in the morning another woman was arrested at Broughton, Flintshire, and a man was arrested at Colwyn Bay. A fifth man was arrested at Abergele at lunchtime.

North Wales Police detective sergeant Bob Halford said: "We continue to be proactive in this investigation and anticipate that further arrests will be made in the near future."

The three men arrested in South Yorkshire last week are on police bail.

Ched Evans was jailed for five years on April 20 after being convicted of raping a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room near Rhyl, North Wales.

In her evidence, the woman said she had no memory of the incident and the prosecution argued she was too drunk to consent to sexual intercourse.

The Sheffield United striker denied the rape allegation and plans to appeal against the verdict.

Following sentencing of the Sheffield United player, messages were posted on social media site Twitter and other websites naming Evans' victim and subjecting her to abuse.

North Wales Police described the online comments as "profoundly disturbing" and said they contributed to the young woman's "continued trauma".

More to follow...