Spandau Ballet star is guilty of raping one woman and sexually

A former Spandau Ballet frontman is facing jail after being found guilty of raping a woman and attempting to rape another.

Ross Davidson, 37, who used the stage name Ross Wild, had starred in Queen-based West End musical We Will Rock You, and performed in 2018 as the singer for 1980s favourites Spandau Ballet.

Jurors at Wood Green Crown Court heard the Aberdeen-born musical theatre actor, aspiring songwriter and singer carried out the assaults because he felt he could get ‘sex on demand’.

Davidson, of Finchley, north London, had pleaded not guilty to the rape of a woman in London in March 2015, along with the attempted rape and sexual assault of another woman in Thailand in December 2019, saying his actions were consensual.

On Wednesday, jurors found him guilty of all charges after more than 11 hours of deliberation.

Davidson had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of voyeurism in December 2019 against the woman in Thailand after secretly filmed video he had taken of her as she slept was found on his mobile phone.

Prosecutor Richard Hearnden said Davidson had been thought of as ‘a bit of a sex symbol’ but the two women say he had ‘a much darker side that they did not notice, at least at first’.

He had success, musical talent and was considered ‘charming and charismatic’ but ‘it is because Ross Davidson expects to get sex on demand that he will resort to rape and sexual assault if he is not given what he thinks he deserves’, Mr Hearnden said.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

A former Spandau Ballet frontman Ross Davidson (pictured) is facing jail after being found guilty of raping a woman and attempting to rape another

Former Spandau Ballet frontman Ross Davidson, 37, of Finchley, north London, is facing jail after being found guilty of raping a woman and attempting to rape another

Davidson (centre, with the microphone) performs on stage alongside Steve Norman, Martin Kemp, Gary Kemp and John Keeble at west London’s Eventim Apollo on October 29, 2018

Davidson, of Finchley in north London, had pleaded not guilty to the rape of a woman in London in March 2015, along with the attempted rape and sexual assault of another woman in Thailand

Davidson, who met the women on the Tinder dating app, stated that all sex he had was consensual.

He described himself as ‘sex positive’, telling the court this was about ‘open dialogue, open-mindedness about people’s predilections, just an openness to trying different sexual appetites’.

This could include bondage, restraint, group sex and he had ‘once or twice’ attended a sex party.

The rape victim told the jury Davidson attacked her while she was asleep in his bed and recalled feeling ‘helpless’ and ‘scared to react’.

Before assaulting her Davidson had ‘mentioned he liked the idea of having sex with a mannequin, a person in a helpless state, someone not moving’.

Jurors also heard he put her in a sex collar and wrist cuffs for about 20 minutes without her permission.

This made her ‘confused’ and put her in ‘a state of shock’ but he removed them when she asked, she said.

In court Davidson called all these claims of assault and a sex collar an ‘out-and-out lie’.

Davidson, who used the stage name Wild, is pictured with fellow Spandau Ballet band mates Martin Kemp, Gary Kemp, John Keeble and Steve Norman

Ex-Spandau Ballet star ‘thanked’ woman after subjecting her to sex attack, court told

Another woman said she woke up in a hotel bedroom in Thailand to find Davidson trying to have sex without her permission or a condom.

Davidson said ‘thanks for being cool about it’ when she calmly talked him down from raping her, she recalled.

This attempted rape happened after Davidson and the woman had drunken sex the night before.

The woman went on to stay with him that night, which she described as ‘regrettable but fair’ before they spent time together the following day on a beach and sightseeing trip.

Detectives tracked her down after finding Davidson’s mobile phone video showing her being fondled while snoring, ‘asleep, still and unresponsive’ and ‘at least half naked’ in a Thailand hotel bedroom, the prosecution said.

She had no idea the video existed until the police told her in 2023.

In her evidence the woman strongly dismissed a suggestion by Davidson that she had given him permission to touch her while she was asleep, telling the jury: ‘Why would I want a man to touch me when I am in a state of unconsciousness?’

In his police interview, Davidson described a whirlwind romance with the woman in Thailand where they had consensual sex and talked about their ‘kinks and fantasies, very normal fantasises’.

Davidson denied the attempted rape of another woman in March 2019 and the sexual assault of this same alleged victim in December that year

Former Spandau Ballet star raped woman and forced another to act out ‘mannequin fantasy’, court told

He admitted a voyeurism charge over the video, but had denied sexual assault from the same incident.

Davidson said he created the video for ‘selfish reasons, for sexual gratification’ and he ‘had permission to touch her but not to film’.

Then, getting emotional, he told the jury: ‘I wish I had never done it.’

A further hearing has been set for February 4 at the same court, when a sentencing date is expected to be discussed.

Prosecutor Mr Hearnden earlier described Ross as a ‘bit of a sex symbol’, adding: ‘He is very good looking and physically fit. He sings, plays the guitar and is said to be charming and charismatic.

‘His darker side is not the first thing that many women and girls notice about him. But the women in this case can all attest to that sinister part of his personality.

‘He has raped, coerced and sexually assaulted a number of young women over the last decade.

‘It is often supposed that men such as the defendant, blessed with good looks and star quality, can get any girl he wants without having to resort to committing sexual offences, without having to resort to forcing himself on women, without having to resort to rape.

Ex-Spandau Ballet star Ross William Wild, 36, is found guilty of rape, sexual assault and voyeurism

‘Yet the reality belies that supposition. In this case, many young women have come forward to tell the police that they have been victims of Mr Davidson’s predatory behaviour.

‘It is because he expects to get sex on demand that he will resort to rape and sexual assault if he is not given what he thinks he deserves.’

Davidson replaced Tony Hadley as Spandau Ballet’s singer in 2018 before leaving 11 months later.

Hadley had been the frontman during the group’s 1980s heyday including top ten hits such as True, Gold and Only When You Leave.

Davidson first stood trial in July 2024 when he was convicted by a jury of rape, two charges of sexual assault and voyeurism of a fourth complainant.

He was convicted by the jury of raping the first woman and of sexually assaulting the second and third women.

Aberdeen-born Davidson denied one charge of rape in relation to a fifth complainant and was convicted of that attack today after a retrial.

She had met Davidson in February 2012 on the online dating app Plenty of Fish and said she was attacked by Davidson in March 2015 after she went to stay with him in Finchley.

The woman said Davidson made her wear an S&M sex collar with wrist restraints.

He was also convicted of attempted rape and sexual assault in relation to a sixth victim he met in Thailand.

Davidson remains in prison and was not in court to hear the verdicts as he is suffering from a viral infection.

Det Const Kamila Kedadrova, who was part of the investigation team, said after today’s verdicts: ‘Davidson is a prolific offender who carried out cowardly and opportunistic assaults against his victims.

‘Our dedicated team of officers have worked with determination and care to secure the evidence which has proved essential in achieving today’s result.

‘I also commend the victims for their courage and support for the investigation.

‘The Met is committed to securing justice for victims of sexual offences, no matter when they occurred. Over the past five years, we have more than tripled arrests and charges for rape and serious sexual offences.

‘All reports we receive will be taken seriously, while being treated with the upmost respect and care.’