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Ched Evans' Cousin: No Apology For Rape Tweet

Ched Evans' Cousin: No Apology For Rape Tweet

A teenager who named a rape victim on Twitter has refused to apologise and said paying her compensation was "the last thing" she wanted to do.

The victim's name was circulated on the social networking site and on Facebook after footballer Ched Evans was convicted of raping her in April.

Evans' cousin, Gemma Thomas, and eight other defendants were each ordered to pay the victim £624 after they admitted revealing her identity.

Rape victims are entitled to lifelong anonymity by law, unless they agree to waive their anonymity.

Tweets sent by Thomas, 18, accused the victim of "money-grabbing" and "ruining lives".

In an interview on BBC Radio 5 Live, she said she regretted her actions but continued to stand by her cousin.

Thomas, from Rhyl, North Wales, said she initially thought the punishment was a fine, and "couldn't believe it" when her solicitor explained it was compensation.

Asked why, she said: "Because it's the last thing I wanted to do, pay her compensation.

"I understand it's against the law and I wouldn't have minded having a big fine because I understand what I did was wrong, but it's the fact that it's compensation and it's just... it's hard thinking that I've got to pay compensation, knowing that I know my cousin is innocent."

Asked whether she would apologise directly to Evans' victim, Thomas added: "I don't know. No."

In April, Evans, who played for Sheffield United and Wales, was found guilty by a jury at Caernarfon Crown Court of raping a 19-year-old woman in a hotel room in Rhyl.

The player admitted having sex with her but claimed it was consensual. The prosecution said she was too drunk to consent.

Evans, 23, originally from St Asaph, Denbighshire, and now of Penistone, South Yorkshire, was jailed for five years.