Ched Evans wins his appeal against rape conviction

Ched Evans, the former Sheffield United footballer, has won an appeal against his conviction for rape and will now face a retrial.

The 27-year-old spent over two years in prison after he was convicted in 2012 of raping a 19-year-old in a hotel in Wales. On Thursday, the conviction was quashed following the emergence of fresh evidence, although details of the grounds for the appeal are not permitted to be reported for legal reasons. Evans, a former Welsh international, was present at court of appeal in central London, where three appeal judges -Lady Justice Hallett, Mr Justice Flaux and Sir David Maddison - heard submissions over two days from Kieran Vaughan QC, for Evans, and also from Eleanor Laws QC, for the crown. Having been released from prison in 2014, Evans has made several unsuccessful attempts to restart his football career.