Father-of-two Scottish aristocrat, 39, is CLEARED of sexually assaulting woman during two-day cocaine-fuelled birthday party at his stately home

• Euan Tennant, 39, was accused of assaulting her at his birthday party in 2019 
• He was cleared of the charges at Edinburgh Sheriff Court this afternoon
• Tennant inherited the 3,500-acre Glen estate in Peeblesshire in 2018 
• Victim said he attacked her in ‘huge four-poster bed’ after he snorted cocaine 

A father-of-two Scottish aristocrat was today cleared of sexually assaulting a woman during a cocaine-fuelled two-day birthday bash at his stately home.

Euan Tennant, 39, was alleged to have stripped naked and stroked the woman’s leg before sexually assaulting her while they and a friend shared a ‘huge four poster bed’ at the Glen House mansion near Innerleithen, Peeblesshire, in July 2019.

He told Edinburgh Sheriff Court he believed he was given a non-verbal ‘green light’ to go ahead after they said he could join them in the bed and there was ‘no strong movement’ telling him to leave her alone. 

The jury gave a non-proven verdict by majority today. 

The woman, who remains legally anonymous and gave her evidence from behind a screen, said she remained ‘frozen’ during the alleged attack. 

Euan Tennant, 39, has been cleared of sexual assault charges at his 36th birthday party in July 2019

Tennant, who inherited the 3,500-acre Glen estate after his mother died in 2018, said all the contact at his 36th birthday party was ‘consensual’.

Sheriff Kenneth Campbell QC told Tennant he was being acquitted of the sex assault charge and was free to leave the dock. 

Tennant told the court he and the woman had chatted about how important consent was between men and women before he got into bed beside her and her friend. 

Tennant said: ‘I was sitting on a stool and I said, ‘Is it OK for me to join you on the bed?’. They both said yes. I then asked if I could get into the bed with them. They said yes.’

He told the court he was ‘pleasantly surprised by this beautiful young woman’ when they first met and admitted he was interested in her romantically despite her being in a relationship.

He added: ‘When I turned to turn the lights out I touched the back of her knee. I took my hand away and then put my hand back in the same place.

The father-of-two, who inherited the 3,500-acre Glen estate (pictured) after his mother died in 2018, said he believed that he had been given ‘non-verbal signals’ to touch the woman intimately

‘There was no sudden movement or no strong movement motioning to go away.

‘I saw that as a sort of amber to green [light].’

When asked by defending advocate Victoria Young if the woman was consenting to his advances, Tennant said: ‘Yes I believe she was.’ Tennant admitted he had taken his clothes off while he was in the bed.

Previously, the alleged victim told the court she had been invited by a friend to attend the two-day event at Glen House to celebrate Tennant’s 36th birthday. 

The jury gave a non-proven verdict by majority on Thursday, September 1. Euan Tennant (pictured) was allowed to walk free from the dock

She said her friend and Tennant had been close friends for around 15 years after meeting at university but that she had not met him before attending the party in 2019.

She said all three were in the bedroom socialising at around midnight on July 27 that year where her friend and Tennant had snorted lines of cocaine. 

She said Tennant later asked to sleep in the large bed with the two women and the victim said they agreed as they ‘felt safe he would not do anything’.

But she claimed Tennant began touching her knee ‘within a couple of minutes of us switching the lights off’. 

She told the jury Tennant started stroking her legs as they lay in the dark and that she ‘didn’t do anything hoping he would stop and take his hands away’.

She said: ‘I was being as still as possible and I wanted to pretend to be asleep hoping he would stop but he didn’t.

The woman told the court she was ‘frozen’ in fear and lay ‘sobbing in the bed’ as Tennant carried on the alleged assault.

She said she fled the bedroom and after speaking to her friend she later contacted police and reported the incident.

The alleged victim then told the jury Tennant had said: ‘I’m sorry if I offended you.’ 

The Tennants are one of the most prominent aristocratic families in Scotland.

Euan Tennant’s grandfather, Colin Tennant, was a close friend of Princess Margaret, the Queen’s late sister. 

Colin Tennant also owned the Caribbean island of Mustique where he threw infamous parties for his celebrity friends. 

Euan Tennant lives in a farm cottage on the Glen estate. The historic property and 3,500-acre estate are believed to be managed by Tennant’s stepfather, Bill Staempfli.

Tennant, who gave his occupation as an electrician, said he believed all the touching that took place was consensual.  

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