Telford man, 52, gets right to appeal over child abuse verdict
A Telford man who was jailed for abusing a young girl has won the first stage of an Appeal Court bid to clear his name.
David Fanning, 52, of Sutton Road, Admaston, was locked up for nine years at Shrewsbury Crown Court in December last year.
He had been found guilty of nine counts of indecent assault.
Fanning was cleared by the jury of two further counts of indecent assault and three of rape.
The prosecution case against him at trial was that he committed a string of sex offences on the girl which started in the late 1990s – when she was just four years old.
However, his lawyers argue his convictions for the offences are "unsafe". They say the jury had no basis to find he was not guilty of some crimes but had committed others.
Fanning's barrister, Debra White, said the different verdicts returned by the jury were "logically inconsistent".
As a result of this Fanning's convictions should be quashed, she told the Appeal Court.
Lord Justice Beatson, sitting with Mr Justice King and Mr Justice Males yesterday, said: "We have considered, in light of the submissions made by Ms White, that permission to appeal should be granted.
"This is a matter fit to go before the full court."
No date was set for Fanning's appeal hearing. Fanning's trial was told that police began their investigation in 2013 after the girl made a complaint.
