that Oyston's affairs were of interest on both sides of the House of Commons. In April 1992, Esquire stated that the principal source of funds for the seven-year campaign had been William Harrison (1921–1999), a Lancashire property developer. The report by Chris Blackhurst described "a seamy saga of smears, death and vendetta. Or how two Tory MPs, a fish and chip shop owner, and a Blackpool wheeler dealer with a secret grudge tried to ruin a socialist millionaire." Rape case Conviction Four months after a high-profile police raid on a modelling agency in Manchester nine charges were levelled against Oyston, including four rape charges. He was initially arrested on 9 February 1995. At the committal in May 1995, one of the alleged rapes and two separate charges of indecent assault were thrown out by a stipendiary magistrate. Charges involving three complainants came to trial. He was cleared of offences against two women but found guilty of the rape and indecent assault of the third complainant. At his first trial in Manchester in February 1996 for the rape and indecent assault of a former model, he was acquitted of indecent assault but the jury could not reach a verdict on the rape charge. At the retrial, he was acquitted of the rape charge after the former model was shown to have lied at the first trial and that Oyston had had a long-term relationship with her both before and after the alleged rape. She also admitted that it was only after being contacted by police officers investigating the model agency that she felt compelled to speak out having previously made no allegation against Oyston. A second rape trial in Manchester in March 1996 saw Oyston acquitted after it was shown that the model had taken money from him, enjoyed a consensual affair with him and continued to meet him socially after the alleged rape. A third trial at Liverpool Crown Court began in April 1996, including both the retrial of an earlier rape case and the trial of the allegations of rape and indecent assault made by a third complainant. The third complainant had originally said she was raped at Oyston's home on a night between October and December 1991, but seven days into the third trial the judge agreed to a request from the Crown and allowed the indictment period to be extended by 12 months, to run from 4