The Queen rocker and his wife Anita Dobson stand by their longtime driver Phillip Webb as the chauffeur was accused of drugging and sexually abusing an underage girl.
- Mar 31, 2021
AceShowbiz - Rocker Brian May's long-time chauffeur has been cleared of child sexual abuse charges.
Phillip Webb was accused of plying a teenager with drugs and alcohol before abusing her, but the Queen star never believed his driver was guilty, even giving evidence in court to defend him and calling Webb a "gentle giant."
The 59 year old has worked for May and his wife, actress Anita Dobson, for more than 20 years.
On Tuesday, a jury at Kingston Crown Court found Webb, who also worked for Madness, not guilty of three counts of indecency with a child, nine counts of indecent assault, and one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child. He was also cleared of two further charges of causing or inciting a child under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activity.
During the trial, the girl's diary entries about the alleged abuse were shown to the jury. "I just want to talk to someone - people will think I want attention. I just want to be normal," the girl wrote. "He did things to me that made me doubt my own mind."
Defense lawyer Eleanor Laws QC insisted, "There is no independent supporting evidence whatsoever other than what has come out of the complainant's mouth."
Following his acquittal, the chauffeur thanked the members of the jury and told them, "You did the right thing."
Besides working for Brian May and the band Madness, Phillip Webb had also been employed by the Japanese Embassy and the Japanese Imperial Family.
