An alleged blackmailer walked from court ‘without any stain on her character’ after prosecutors dropped both charges she faced.

Ilka Vari-Lavoisier, 36, was accused of performing a sex act on a mechanic as he drove her home in October 2020 – then blackmailing him with a false rape allegation and demanding a ‘new car’ or cash.

She denied the claims and was expected to tell jurors at Oxford Crown Court that she had been sexually assaulted by the man in the back of his car.

But jurors never got to hear from the French national. Her barrister, James Keeley, was part-way through quizzing the alleged victim when the court broke for lunch – and his cross-examination never resumed.

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After lunch, prosecutor Jonathan Stone explained to the jury that he had reviewed the case with those who had instructed him at the Crown Prosecution Service over the afternoon and a decision had been taken to offer no evidence on the allegation of sexual assault.

There was no longer a ‘realistic prospect’ of the jury convicting the defendant based on the evidence as it had emerged in court.

The Crown also decided to offer no evidence on the blackmail charge. Mr Stone told jurors that ‘clear messages’ from the defendant meant the ‘evidence is there for the blackmail’.

But he also had to consider whether it would be in the ‘public interest’ to continue prosecuting the allegation Vari-Lavoisier demanded money and a car with menaces.

Mr Stone made it clear the Crown did not accept the defendant’s contention she had been sexually assaulted. But he added: “I do know I’m not putting [the alleged victim] in front of you any more as a witness of truth.”

Allowing her to leave the dock, Judge Maria Lamb told the defendant, of Circus Street, Oxford: “You go from this court as you arrived in it, without any stain on your character in relation to this matter.”

Defence barrister Mr Keeley said the alleged victim would have faced further questions from him had he continued to be cross examined.

It would have been suggested that, having sexually assaulted the defendant, he ‘offered her a car to keep quiet about it and not go to the police’, the barrister said.

During the morning session, the alleged victim denied he had sexually assaulted the defendant.

Under cross-examination, he suggested some differences between his police statement and his evidence from the witness stand was due to a ‘translator’ who wrote the statement down.

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He denied that there were messages between him and the defendant ‘missing’ from the WhatsApp conversation photographed by the police, and which started several hours after the alleged assault on him with him saying ‘hi’ to the defendant.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward